


Rusted Brandy In A Diamond Glass

by StarlightAfterAStorm



Series: Chaos Theory [1]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-27
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-15 00:12:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2208327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightAfterAStorm/pseuds/StarlightAfterAStorm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Veronica wanted to confront Jake about Clarence Weidman's pictures at the Echolls Christmas Party, but she never counted on an eavesdropper outside the door. </p><p>AU/Canon Divergence during An Echolls Family Christmas</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cards On The Table

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confrontations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something that just demanded to be written. Characters, tags, and the rating will be adjusted accordingly when the story gets farther along. I hope you enjoy.

_ "Rusted brandy in a diamond glass _

_ Everything is made from dreams _

_ Time is made from honey slow and sweet _

_ Only the fools know what it means _

_ Temptation" _

_ -  _ Temptation sung by Cote de Pablo, originally by Tom Waits

 

“Where’s Weevil?!?”

Despite herself, the edges of Veronica’s lips tilt themselves up into a small, uncomfortable smile. 

“I think we both stand out a bit.” 

“Are you kidding me? _You_ are a natural. Look at you.”

Veronica looks down at her feet with a self-deprecating laugh, acutely aware of the fact that not one person in this room would share Weevil’s sentiment. As she lifts her head up to return Weevil’s compliment with a witty retort, Veronica sees Jake Kane leaving the decorated ballroom. Her gaze firmly focused over Weevil’s shoulder, Veronica murmurs a distracted “Will you hold this for a sec?” to Weevil before following her maybe-father.

Across the room, someone else sees Jake Kane leave the room, Veronica in hot pursuit. Instead of joining Duncan at the bar for a much needed shot, Logan changes his trajectory. 

Veronica is so intent on confronting Jake that she doesn’t notice Logan following her. The only thing she can focus on is making Jake admit to the reason that he forced her mother out of town. Luckily he heads into a study rather than a restroom and Veronica takes her chance. She glances around to make sure they’re alone and shuts the door firmly behind her. 

The closed door doesn’t deter Logan. Quickly coming out from the corner he’d ducked behind when Veronica had looked behind her, he lopes up to press his ear to the door. He can’t hear everything but he can still hear the loudest parts of their conversations. 

“-bullseyes... faces... special?”

_What is Veronica talking about?_

“Clarence Weidman... surveillance pictures... and sent them to my mother. Why?”

If Jake responds, the murmur is too low for Logan to hear.

“ _Why?"_  

“I have no idea-”

The voices get louder and closer, allowing Logan to hear every single word. Veronica’s voice runs over anything Jake is trying to say.

“Why did you want my mother out of town?”

“I didn’t.”

There is a soft, slow regret to Jake’s voice that Logan recognizes. It’s a revelation that Logan has never before even suspected; that Jake’s relationship with Lianne was nothing close to platonic. 

_Jake Kane and Lianne Mars?_

Veronica’s voice takes on an abrasive panicked edge. 

“Why didn’t she tell me or my father about the pictures instead of _hiding_ them in a safe deposit box?” 

“ _I don’t know!_ ” 

Veronica’s accusing answer is softly spoken, but still loud enough for Logan to catch. 

“I _don’t_ believe you.”

There is a small shuffling of bodies before the door is thrown wide open. Logan leaps away to the side and Jake storms off back to the ballroom without even seeing him. Veronica tries to go after him, but her elbow is grabbed and she is yanked backwards into a solid chest. Strong arms wrap themselves around her and Veronica struggles against them even past the point of recognition.

“Let go of me! What the hell do you think- Logan! Let go!”

Trying to use as little force as possible so as not to hurt her, Logan quite literally picks the petite girl up with his arms wrapped around her waist and walks her back inside the room before closing the door behind them.  

“Logan I don’t know what you think you heard but-”

“I heard enough to know that you’re following nicely in Daddy’s footsteps; delusional crackpot theories pinned on the first available stooge. Something about some guy named Clarence Weidman? And Jake ran your mother out of town? Please, Veronica I think you need a reality check.” He sneers cruelly at her, “You know I’m a little hurt. I thought I was supposed to be the one great villain in your life. But how could I forget Jake Kane? Silly me. Guess I’m not as special as I thought.” 

“So you obviously missed the part about how Clarence Weidman took pictures of me and put a bullseye over my face?” 

Veronica cringes, gasping sharply at what she’s just revealed. She closes her eyes in a moment of self-reproach. 

_Damn._

She hadn’t meant for that to slip out. She clenches her fists in frustration but she refuses to back down. Veronica opens her eyes to look square at Logan, chin tilted upward proudly. 

He stares back at her, dark eyes filled with doubt. His mouth curls itself into a sharp smile, an expression Veronica is familiar with. She braces herself for whatever spiteful comment is sure to follow. 

“And this Clarence Weidman is connected to the Kanes how? No, wait. Let me guess. He’s Jake’s long lost older brother? Or his love child with another woman?”

Veronica blanches at that last barb. Her mouth drops open for just a second before she can pull herself back together. Despite trying to mentally prepare herself for it, the remark had hit her where it hurt the most.

_Bravo, Logan. You found the biggest chink in my armor without even trying._

It’s clear that Logan realizes he’s actually shaken her. He stands there, waiting for her to reply, confused when her only answer is silence. 

Veronica opens her mouth to try and say something back, but he’s rendered her speechless for the first time in months. Taking a steadying breath, she decides that if Logan wants to eavesdrop on private conversations, he might as well learn context. 

It takes a moment or two before she can make her voice work again. Even when it does, Veronica’s voice is noticeably softer, more subdued than it was before.  

“He’s the head of Kane security. He took photos of me as far back as _before_ Lilly’s death. _Before_ Duncan and I broke up even. He put-” Veronica’s loses her breath at the memory of her own smiling face in the pictures, the sinister intent clear by the red target trained on her, “He put a rifle scope over my face and then sent them to my mom.”

The information clearly shocks Logan. He leans against the large oak desk behind him, letting it carry the majority of his weight since he can’t quite seem to find the strength at the moment. He immediately shifts from high school bully to protective friend. As crazy as he thinks the Mars family is, he doesn’t think Veronica is actually the type to make up stories about something as serious as this. 

“And you’re sure that it’s this Clarence guy?”

Veronica huffs out a breath, folding her arms over her chest. 

“Despite what you may think of me and my dad Logan, we do actually know what we’re doing.”

Logan raises an eyebrow, a silent request for proof that Veronica isn’t sure she wants to give. She’s already told him more than she intended. No one but Jake was ever supposed to have known about the pictures. 

But for the first time since Lilly’s death, there isn’t any hatred or condescension in Logan’s eyes. There’s confusion, shock, and even concern there. He looks like he might actually be inclined to believe what she’s said about Clarence Weidman. He looks like Veronica is someone he needs to keep safe. 

It's been a long time since he’s cared about her safety. 

She doesn’t want to admit how much she appreciates it. 

The heat drains out of the moment and Veronica has to tear her eyes away from his. She focuses on the twinkling fairy lights behind him, twisting her fingers uncomfortably. 

Before she can make a decision about what to say next, a scream rips apart the stillness. 

Veronica snaps her head up to meet Logan’s wide eyes before the two of them both slam the door open and race down the hallway  to the main ballroom. Panicking guests impede their way, but Logan finds a solution for that. He winds an arm around her small frame and, much like he had done earlier, practically carries her as he uses his taller frame to push through the crowd. 

“Somebody call an ambulance!” Lynn’s voice echoes even above the shrill exclamations of the other partygoers. 

Looking around to see that no one around them is actually bothering to make the call, Logan puts Veronica down before pulling his phone out of his pocket to dial 911. 

The two of them are too far away from Lynn to see who’s been stabbed but Veronica spies Weevil still at the food table. He sees her too and immediately walks over to her.

“V, there you are.”

He spares a wry glance at Logan still standing hip to hip with her while arguing with the person on the other line.

“Look, I don’t know what happened but someone’s been hurt and there’s a bunch of screaming and we need an ambulance _now_. I don’t care how you do it as long they get here quickly.”

Veronica waves her hand to bring Weevil’s attention back to her. 

“Weevil, what happened?" 

“Some waiter chick went crazy and I guess she was accusing Aaron Echolls of sleeping with her and saying he loved her or some shit. Then she pulled out this ice pick and made to stab him but somebody else got in the way.”

There’s something else there. Something Weevil’s not telling her that makes her gut churn. She can tell in the way that he won’t quite meet her eyes and the stiff way he’s holding his body. 

“So somebody besides Aaron Echolls got stabbed?”

“Yeah.”

“Who got stabbed Weevil?”

He won’t answer her. Lynn is still screaming for help in the background. Logan has just finished his 911 call. And Weevil won’t look at her. 

“Weevil. _Who got stabbed?_ ”

Logan’s voice cuts through the bubble of tension that seems to be building.

“C’mon man? What’s the deal? Who got stabbed?”

Weevil’s continued silence and the small, guilty glance at Veronica is the only answer she needs. 

“No. _No._ ” Veronica doesn’t even realize her internal monologue of “no’s” is being said out loud. “ _No no no no no no no._ ”

She starts fighting her way through the crowd to get to where Lynn is kneeling at the other end of the room, next to the Christmas tree with its lights shining mockingly down at her. 

“Veronica!" 

“V!”

She doesn’t even register Logan and Weevil’s voices and bodies following closely behind her. All she can concentrate on is the sickeningly familiar tan jacket that comes into her view. The mostly hairless head that Lynn is cradling in her lap. The red bloom of blood slowly flowing over Aaron’s fingers as he puts pressure on the wound. 

“ _Dad!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have plans for this story. Big plans. Detailed plans. Plans that span years and continents. Lives ruined. Blood shed. It's going to be epic. 
> 
> Come join me for the ride.


	2. Crumbling Defenses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is in the hospital. Veronica tries to keep from breaking. She succeeds. Mostly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my lovely beta marshmallowtasha. You are awesome.

Veronica is curled uncomfortably in the small hospital chair she’d dragged across the room to the edge of the bed. Her eyes never 

leave Keith’s chest, monitoring the slow rise and fall. 

A knock at the door startles her and Veronica cranes her neck over her shoulder to see a nurse at the door. The woman smiles kindly at Veronica, pushing a lock of curly dark hair behind her ear. She starts speaking as soon as she walks in, multitasking by straightening the sheets, checking Keith, and writing information on the white board next to his bed. 

“Hi, I’m Nurse Williams. Just call me Becky. I’m just here to talk to you about your dad. Doctor Bass wants to keep him here for at least a couple of days. Maybe a week depending on how well your dad responds to antibiotics. The wound was deep and he lost a lot of blood, but no major organs were pierced. We’d just like to be safe and see how he does. Ok?”

Her voice is perkier than Veronica would have expected from a nurse after midnight and even if she’d spoken with a slow and steady beat, Veronica feels as though the world is moving too fast. Her brain can’t quite process anything and she nods her head in lieu of a verbal reply. 

The perkiness from Nurse Becky drops a bit as she moves to leave. 

“I really am sorry, but you won’t be allowed to spend the night here since you’re underage. I’ll give you the rest of the hour, but after that I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Veronica uncurls herself in surprise and hurries after the nurse into the hallway. 

“Wait, why can’t I stay?”

“Hospital policy. You’re under 18 and it’s past guest hours. You can come back at 9 when guest hours start again.”

She smiles again but it’s no consolation to an angry Veronica. As Nurse Becky leaves to go back to her station, Veronica starts to turn back to Keith when she spots two figures coming towards her in the hallway. 

As soon as she reaches her, Lynn Echolls pulls Veronica in a surprisingly strong hug. Veronica is startled by the earnestness in the woman’s embrace and over Lynn’s shoulder, Veronica can see Logan’s dark eyes trained on her as he leans against the hospital wall. Overwhelmed by the last few hours, she can’t even begin to try and decipher how Logan feels about what’s happened and what he may or may not be trying to broadcast to her. 

Veronica tries to gently extricate herself from Lynn’s arms, but the older woman won’t let her go. Just holds her tighter and doesn’t say a word, stroking Veronica’s head and shoulders in soothing circles. 

The only person who hugs her like this anymore is the man sleeping on the hospital bed inside. 

Veronica gives in and hugs Lynn back, letting herself enjoy the feel of a mother’s embrace. Even if it’s not her own mother, the gesture is comforting. 

Finally Lynn pulls away. She looks between Veronica, Keith’s room, and her son, still lounging against the wall. 

“Logan, honey? Why don’t you find us some coffee? Or tea? Veronica, do you prefer coffee or tea?”

Veronica’s scrambles a little at what to say but settles with, “Oh! Um... coffee? I prefer it with-”

“A lot of cream but just a hint of sugar. I remember.”

Veronica stares at Logan’s back as he walks away with more than a little surprise. She hadn’t been much of a coffee drinker until after Lilly died and she’d started helping Keith with the P.I. work. That Logan would still remember how she liked her coffee from the few times he’d seen her drink it is something she never suspected. 

“And find out who we have to talk to about putting Keith in a better room! Tell them we’re taking care of everything!” Lynn calls after him. 

After he raises a hand and waves it back at them to show he’s heard her, Lynn gently steers the younger woman back into Keith’s room while Veronica tries to take in everything that happened in the past few hours. From solving the poker game theft to facing Jake and then Logan to riding with her dad to the hospital because he was stabbed, Veronica isn’t quite sure that this isn’t a dream. 

“-your dad?”

Veronica’s head snaps up at the sound of Lynn’s voice.

“I’m sorry, what?”

Lynn smiles, sitting down in the other chair she must have pulled over to the bed. Grabbing the younger girl’s hand, she guides Veronica back into the chair she was curled into earlier. 

“I said, ‘What did the doctor say about your dad?’ How long will he have to be here?”

“About a week, I think.” Veronica breathes out on a sigh, “They said that it wasn’t too complicated of a wound but he lost a lot of blood before he was brought to the hospital so they want to keep him for a couple of days at least.”

They sit uncomfortably for a moment before Veronica speaks up. 

“Mrs. Echolls-”

“Lynn, please.”

“Lynn. It’s really not necessary for you to pay for dad’s hospital bill.”

The two of them both know just how much of a strain having Keith in the hospital for a whole week would be. While a part of Veronica just wants to gratefully take the money, another part of her raises its hackles at the thought of a handout, born out of pity. 

Lynn clasps Veronica’s cold hands in hers, rubbing some warmth into them. Veronica stares at their hands, mentally comparing the two of them. Lynn’s hands are slim and soft from years of expensive creams. Her fingers have a sophisticated French tip painted on them. Veronica’s hands have camera calluses and are dry from cheap drugstore lotion. Her fingers have a clear polish on them that is starting to chip at the edges. Lynn sits there in her couture red dress and soft white wool coat while Veronica is still in her jeans and bright pink t-shirt. The feeling that had made her so uncomfortable at the party of not belonging in Lynn’s world comes rushing back to her. 

Lynn tilts her head down to look Veronica in the eyes. 

“Veronica, sweetie, I’ve known you since you were in pigtails and knee socks.’

Logan’s voice flashes through her mind, saying the same words. It brings back memories of fizzy champagne, the smell of the ocean, and the tinkling laughter of a girl long gone. 

“And even though you and Logan aren’t exactly friends anymore, it doesn’t mean I don’t care. It was my fault this happened. I’m the one who hired your father.”

Veronica is quick to try and reassure her.

“No. Lynn, it’s not your fault.”

_It’s Aaron Echolls’ fault._

The man who is still sitting safely at home, likely busy denying the waitress’ infidelity allegations to the press.

The sentiment passes between them unsaid, but understood. If Aaron weren’t a serial cheater, none of this would have happened. Lynn nods her head in acceptance. 

“Regardless, the responsibility lies with the Echolls family. Consider it a part of the payment. We’ll still be paying your father for the work he performed before the party of course.”

Veronica can accept that. The large sum of money Lynn is offering is much easier for Veronica to swallow if she considers it part of the payment rather than as charity. She reluctantly nods and Lynn smiles widely at her. 

They sit in silence, no longer uncomfortable, until Logan arrives with tepid hospital coffee and a doctor. 

Lynn finally lets go of Veronica’s hands and ushers the doctor back out to the hall to speak with him. Veronica can’t hear the exactly what is said, but the words Lynn uses before she walks out of hearing range are crisply spoken in a sharp authoritative tone. 

Logan sits in the seat his mother has abandoned and hands Veronica a cup. She thanks him softly, but sets it on the bedside table without drinking it. Awkwardness settles between them. 

He feels like he should say something, anything. 

Veronica shifts slightly and he can see the way she’s started to twist her fingers in anxiety. He can see the glistening in her eyes and the exhaustion pressing down on her. 

This is the same girl he’d turned into Public Enemy #1. The same girl he’d ostracized and mocked and ridiculed for over a year. But tonight something had changed with her confession and she’d shifted from that role to a terrorized girl he used to be friends with. 

Lying on that hospital bed is the reason Veronica had become shunned in the first place. The former sheriff who had accused Lilly’s own father of hiding something. Logan hadn’t understood it. Had understood even less why Veronica would turn her back on Lily by standing by her father. 

How could Keith Mars even think of accusing Jake Kane? Jake was the father Logan wished he himself could have. A good man who really loved his kids. He was obviously broken hearted when Lilly died. 

Veronica’s own accusation about Jake made Logan doubt his belief in him. He didn’t want to believe it, but how could he not? Why would Veronica lie about something like that? 

And if Veronica’s story about Jake is true, could Keith’s story be true as well?

The implications of that make Logan’s stomach churn. 

He might have bullied a girl he used to care about out of anger and spite with absolutely no justification. He had called her names. He had started rumors about her. He made sure she no longer felt welcome in Neptune. 

For over a _year._

_How could I have done that?_

“Logan?”

Veronica’s voice startles him out of his brooding.

“Yeah?”

“You’re staring. At my face. Kind of intensely. I mean, I know it’s hard for you to take your eyes off of me, but you’re starting to creep me out.” 

“I’m trying to figure out if you’ve caught something while you’ve been here. How long does it take for the flesh eating bacteria to start showing?”

Veronica rolls her eyes before replying. 

“Wouldn’t you know? I mean, the doctors did such a great job with you. It’s such a shame they couldn’t completely save your face.”

“You only wish it could leave you as good looking as me.”

The two of them automatically revert to insults, but there’s no more heat behind them. Veronica scoffs at him and they share small smiles before Veronica turns back to her dad. The smile disappears and concern crinkles her forehead. 

It’s still awkward, but somehow less than before. 

Lynn comes back in with the doctor to tell them that Keith is going to be moved to a private room once he wakes in the morning. Behind them, Nurse Becky and another nurse wheel in a small cot for Veronica to sleep in. 

Veronica settles down on it gratefully, completely drained. Lynn walks over, putting her hand lightly on her shoulder. 

“Get some sleep Veronica. Everything with the hospital and Doctor Bass has been taken care of, but if you need anything, anything at all, feel free to call us. You have Logan’s number right?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, call Logan. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to drop everything for you.”

Logan makes a face at her behind his mom’s shoulder at her and what might have pissed Veronica off the week before makes a hysterical giggle catch in her throat. 

“Thank you, Lynn. I’ll be sure to take Logan up on that offer if I need something.”

Soft goodnights are exchanged as Veronica sinks into her pillow. Her eyes close and her mind finally starts to shut down. 

But her dreams are far from peaceful. 

* * *

 

_She’s wearing that damned white dress from Shelley Pomroy’s party. Everything is hazy as she’s stumbling towards a pool lounger. Shelley’s pool morphs into the Kane pool._

_Lilly’s face, skull broken and bleeding, her eyes wide open and glassy, appears in front of her. Her dad’s body, still and pale, joins Lilly’s next to the Kane pool and the water turns to blood._

_The dead hands of Lilly and her dad pull Veronica into the pool and the thick metallic taste permeates everything. Her lungs burn with want of air and she keeps clawing for the surface. When she finally does break through, she’s surrounded by people. The remaining Kanes, Logan, and all of the 09‘ers from school surround her._

_Celeste kicks her back into the blood as everyone but Duncan and Logan snicker in the background. Their laughter plays on a sickening repeat all around her, all of the horrible names she’s been called the past year shouted out at her now._

_Duncan won’t look at her, his face turned away as she tries to stay afloat. Even as she reaches out to him, he walks away._

_Logan stands there, a crowbar in his hands. For once, he is not joining in the jeering crowd. He slowly walks through the 09‘ers, pushing aside Jake and Celeste, and extends the end of the crowbar to her._

_Veronica feels like crying in gratitude._

_As she extends her hand out to grab the crowbar, Logan’s face disappears and Clarence Weidman takes his place. The crowbar shifts into a rifle._

_Clarence takes aim, and shoots._

* * *

 

Veronica wakes up with a scream caught in her throat, sticky tear tracks marring her face. 

She looks to her side to see Keith still sleeping peacefully. Getting up quietly so as not to wake him, Veronica stumbles down the hall to the bathroom. Nurse Becky must be checking on another patient because she’s not at the desk. 

After she’s erased all evidence of her nightmare from her face, save for the red-rimmed eyes and dark circles, she silently creeps back into the room. 

The clock on the wall tells her that it’s just past 5 in the morning. 

After thinking about it for a moment, she quickly picks up her phone and scrolls through her contacts, landing on his name in the L’s. She spends a longer amount of time debating with herself. 

Her thumb hovers over the button. 

The phone rings once, twice, a third time before going to voicemail. 

“You’ve reached Logan. Here’s today’s inspirational greeting: ‘There's always going to be the circumstances you can't plan for. There's always the unexpected relevance and the serendipity.’Jason Silva. Leave a message.”

Veronica’s throat closes up at the thought of leaving a message for Logan at 5 in the morning. What is she going to say?

_I had a nightmare and you were actually nice in it so I thought of taking your mom up on her offer when she said I could call you for anything?_

Feeling foolish and childlike for calling him in the first place, Veronica presses ‘end’ without leaving a message and shuts her phone. She’s startled when her phone starts ringing a few seconds later. Logan’s name lights up the screen. 

“Hello?” 

Her voice is soft and tentative. He called her back?

“What?”

His voice is low and rough from sleep. It sounds confused but free from irritation, which is surprising. She answers his question with a confused one of her own. 

“What?”

He breathes out sharply and she can hear the rustling of fabric. She can imagine the way he’s waking himself up, old habits probably still ingrained in him that she’d witnessed at countless sleepovers. He’ll push himself up to sit against the headboard, rub his face three times with both hands and then run his left hand through his hair while his right hand holds the phone. 

“Veronica, _you_ called _me_. At... 5:13 in the morning. So, what? What did you need? Since I assume you took my mother seriously and called for something.”

“I-” Veronica still doesn’t know what to say. “I... am calling about the poker game.”

“The poker game?”

His voice is patiently disbelieving but she continues anyway. 

“Yup. The poker game. I was cleaning all of you guys out of your money and I demand my share.”

“Let me get this straight. You called me at 5 in the morning to ask me for your cut of the poker money?”

“Yes.”

“And you need this money right away because...?”

She turns back to watching Keith breathe, just to remind herself that he’s still there. Her voice gets impossibly smaller when she finally answers. 

“I was going to buy my dad a Christmas present with the money.”

There’s a long silence between them and Veronica idly picks at the seams in her pillow while she waits for him to reply. Her cheeks burn with embarrassment at telling him the truth and at the reminder of their financial situation. Despite it being a flimsy excuse for an early morning call she does actually need the money. The baseball fantasy camp isn’t until the spring and her dad should be healed long before then. She’s more intent on giving him this gift than she was before. 

In the dark of his room, Logan clenches his jaw. 

He’d tossed and turned for hours, contemplating how tonight had changed his world. And just when he’d been able to find sleep, the girl haunting him had called. 

Her voice when she’d first answered had been thick with more than just sleep and he’d bet all the poker money she was asking for that she’d been crying. Whether or not she’d slept at all was something he was less sure of. 

Even after trying to pull herself together and make her voice more authoritative when asking him for the money, she couldn’t hide that subtle tremor that gave her away.  

The Veronica he’d gotten used to would never expose a weakness like that. 

This Veronica, the 5 in the morning Veronica with her dad in the hospital and her mom chased away by the Kanes, sounds more like pre-Lilly’s Death Veronica. Soft and unsure of herself. Innocent and intimidated. 

The effect is multiplied by the fact that he can’t see her face. So cropped hair becomes long once more. Mini skirts and kick ass boots melt back into fuzzy pink sweaters and plain white Keds.  

What does it say about Logan that he abhors this glimpse of the old Veronica he helped tear down and much prefers the sassier, bitchier version she rebuilt herself into? The one who’s looked him straight in the eyes for the past year, spewing quick-witted insults and holding her head like a queen. 

He realizes she’s still waiting for him to answer her when the silence stretches on too long. 

“Alright then. I’ll come over and drop off your share when I bring you my mom’s check for your dad.”

Recognizing that she’d called him when she didn’t have to, he makes sure not to spook her, agreeing to her request. She could have called that friend of hers, the _only_ friend she’s had in over a year, but for some reason he’s sill not quite sure of, she called him. 

“Ok then.”

Her voice is brusque, all business. 

“Ok.”

“Fine. Night, Logan.”

“Night, Ronnie.”

Veronica is the one who hangs up. 

He hadn’t meant to call her that. He only ever calls her that now when he’s mocking her. An endearment turned into another weapon to use against her. 

But as much as he hates the girl she used to be, because that girl was the one he’d believed betrayed Lilly, he also has a treasure trove of warm memories of her.Memories he’d tried desperately to bury this past year until tonight had dredged them all back up. 

Logan leans back into his pillows and runs his hand over his face again. Veronica is a mess of contradictions and while he doesn’t _want_ to try and figure her out, something tells him he’s going to anyway. 

For Veronica, the call leaves her feeling slightly more settled than she had before. She knows how intuitive Logan can be when he wants to and she doubts he bought her excuse of calling for the poker money. But he didn’t call her out on it and it fills her with gratitude. Something she hasn’t associated with Logan Echolls for some time. 

Thinking back to how he’d acted tonight during all of the drama; looking like he’d believed her about Jake and Clarence, having a clear enough head to call for an ambulance when no one else was bothering, sitting with her next to her dad’s hospital bed, and now not only letting her wake him up so early on a Saturday but calling her back, Veronica has to grudgingly admit that there might still be some of the old Logan Echolls left in the psychotic jackass. 

It’s a hard pill to swallow.

The two of them had clearly drawn lines between them, their lives severed into pre-Lilly’s Death and post-Lilly’s death. It hurts sometimes to think about the guy who broke her headlights as the same guy who used to throw her over his shoulder and jump ino the pool. The same guy who called her a slut and made fun of her mom used to be the same guy who shared his M&M’s with her and made her root beer floats. 

She lies back on the cot, wrapping the blanket around herself and reaches out to hold her dad’s hand, just for a second. 

Tonight had been... weird. In more than one way. But weird doesn’t necessarily mean bad and Veronica admits that maybe things aren’t quite as black and white as she’d like to believe. 

When she does get back to sleep, she still dreams of pools. But the taste of blood is washed away by the sugary fizz of root beer and vanilla. Dead hands drowning her are replaced by live ones in a game of chicken. And the sound of 09’er laughter melts into playful shrieks. 

The light from the window starts to show the first signs of sunrise. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all of the people who kudo'd and commented on the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter as much as the first.


	3. Eavesdropper's Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica stopped to listen, tried and heard no good news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who read the last two chapters and left kudos or messages. I hope all of you enjoy this chapter as well.
> 
> As always, a special thank you to my lovely beta, marshmallowtasha.
> 
> I've messed around a little with the timeline here; with the order of the episodes and within the episode itself. It assumes that Silence of the Lamb comes before An Echolls Family Christmas and Clash of the Tritons comes directly after.

Christmas comes and goes, as does New Years, and Veronica finds herself back at Neptune High for a new semester. 

Keith’s been released from the hospital with a warning to stay away from pointy objects and to not overexert himself. Does he listen? No. He ends up taking a bail-jumper case that sends him out to Arizona. 

Veronica smiles and makes quips about him being careful and not re-opening his stitches, but there’s a larger part of her that feels sick to her stomach watching him walk out the door, knowing he’ll be out on the road by himself for a few days. 

Ever since the stabbing, Veronica feels like she’s been running on autopilot. Coming so close to losing someone she loves more than anything, _again_ , has made her jittery and unsettled, unable to focus on anything. 

The nightmares don’t come every night, but when they do, they leave her unable to fall back asleep. 

She often finds herself with her phone in her hands, number queued up, but unable to press the call button. 

She hasn’t talked to Logan since the morning after her first nightmare. In the light of morning, all of the awkwardness from the night before had come rushing back. 

* * *

 

_Veronica and Keith are playing Gin Rummy on the little roller table provided to them in Keith’s new, larger, and more private hospital room. Veronica is sure that he must be cheating somehow. Marked cards or something. How else can he have won the last 15 rounds in a row?_

_Just as Keith wins another round, there’s a tentative knock at the door. Veronica turns around, a scowl on her face, expecting to see Wallace who had promised to come straight away when she called to tell him the situation an hour before._

_It’s not Wallace standing at the door._

_“Hey.”_

_Logan leans against the doorjamb, one hand in his pocket, the other holding two envelopes._

_“Hey, morning.”_

_Veronica looks back to the deck of cards, hurriedly jumbling them together. She can’t quite make herself meet his eyes. Memories from both her waking hours the night before and her dreams flash through her mind. Logan holding a crowbar as she tries to escape a pool full of blood. Logan sharing his M &M’s and ice cream with her. _

_Calling him for comfort at 5 in the morning. Him calling her back. Him calling her Ronnie._

_She’s embarrassed to have been rattled enough to call him in the first place and over the fact that he_ had _comforted her, whether that was intentional or not. She’s not supposed to be that girl anymore. Little Ronnie Mars who could hold her own if she really needed to, but had always had a Kane or an Echolls supporting her._

_Turning around and finding that an Echolls was still standing behind her, even for just one more night, was unexpected and not a part of her new status quo in the Neptune community. She doesn’t know how to begin processing that, let alone face him in the light of day._

_So she focuses instead on the comforting SHHF-SHHF sound of the shuffling cards. As she deals out the next hand she can hear how he moves closer._

_“Morning, Mr. Mars. How… how are you?”_

_There’s an odd lilt to Logan’s tone and Veronica realizes this must be the first time Logan’s spoken to her dad since… since he was asked for his alibi after Lilly died._

_“I’m doing well, Logan. Tell your mom thanks for taking care of-“_

_Keith gestures vaguely around the room._

_“Yeah. Sure. No problem.”_

_Logan nods his head._

_Keith nods in return._

_Veronica arranges and rearranges her cards without really looking at them._

_“Oh, yeah. Here, Mr. Mars. This is what mom said she owed you for the past two weeks.”_

_He hands over one of the white envelopes, thin and sealed shut. The other envelope he holds out to Veronica, thicker and stuffed with bills._

Seriously, Logan? You’re just going to hand me the money in front of my dad?

_“It’s what I owe you for solving the poker game theft.”_

_He gives her a half smile and Veronica wonders if a wink would be more obvious. She smiles back anyway and takes the envelope, thankful he at least tried to cover it up. She takes care to put it in her bag slowly even though she feels like frantically hiding it from her dad’s prying eyes._

_“Thanks.”_

_“You’re welcome.”_

_Logan nods again._

_Veronica nods back._

_Keith pretends to look at his cards when they both know he’s actually watching them._

_There’s a long beat of silence where they all avoid each other’s eyes before Logan rocks back onto his heels and breaks the stillness._

_“Well, this has been stimulating. I’ll be going now. Mr. Mars. Hope you get better soon. Veronica.”_

_Veronica watches as he lifts a hand and waves softly as he leaves. She lifts her hand and waves a small goodbye in return. Looking from the door he’d just walked out of to her dad’s eyes, one brow raised, Veronica’s hackles raise._

_“What?”_

_“Nothing, honey.”_

_He pulls a card out of the deck and throws another card from his hand down._

_“Oh look, Gin."_

* * *

 

As hard as it’s been for Veronica, worrying over her dad, the last few weeks have been no walk in the park for Logan either. Even if the waitress hadn’t hit her intended target, her objective had been mostly realized. Everyone at the party had left knowing that the commotion had come from a spurned lover of Aaron’s. 

His philandering had aways been an open secret in backstage Hollywood, but now the secret has been exposed for the masses. Aaron and Lynn’s faces are splashed across every gossip rag and entertainment channel. 

She watches as magazine clippings and old photos of his mom are taped onto his locker and knows that it won’t end well. Sure enough, as soon as he sees it, fists are flying. 

Duncan, Veronica notices, stands by Logan through the media shitstorm surrounding him. 

But that’s all he does. 

Stands there. 

He doesn’t defend Lynn. He doesn’t help Logan in the fight. He doesn’t shut up the rumormongers spreading vitriol about the Echolls family. 

_Shocker_.

While Veronica couldn’t care less about Aaron Echolls, she does care about Lynn. She makes that very clear to Wallace who questions her when she shuts down anyone talking about Lynn around her. 

Veronica experienced first hand just how quickly Neptune can turn against a person and Logan has become the newest target. King of the 09‘ers he may be, but his family is now the juiciest piece of gossip available, and that’s all that really matters. 

Aside from the Echolls family drama, Rebecca James has been given a grant to study the long-term effects of grief in teenagers. As soon as the new semester begins she starts calling people in to her office to talk about Lilly and how the year without her has affected them. 

Today is Veronica’s turn.

_Oh goodie._

* * *

 

Veronica sits in Miss James’ room, staring her down. 

“Veronica, do you remember when we talked last year, right after Lilly’s death? You were…inconsolable. I’m really hoping that this year, you’re able to talk about it.”

She doesn’t _want_ to talk about Lilly’s death and how it’s affected her. She doesn’t want to admit that it’s probably taken over more of her life than is probably healthy. What she wants is to turn her anger at the fact that Lilly’s killer is still out there into something productive. 

“You know, you're never going to come to terms with Lilly's death if you keep all that pain bottled up inside you.”

Hearing her words, the same trite expressions she used the year before and that the counselor her dad tried to send her to used, only makes Veronica’s jaw clench. She pastes a fake smile on her face and points out the calendar, making a quip in order to try and derail the conversation. 

“Wow. I have that exact same platitude-a-day calendar at home. It's how I know beauty comes from within.”

No dice. 

Miss James does change the conversation, but discussing why she had issues with her dad’s ex-girlfriend is a conversation she wants to have even less than a conversation about Lilly. While Miss James is talking, Veronica picks up the stapler, deciding that this is the perfect opportunity to swap it out for the bugged one in her bag. 

Every teacher in the school has the same gray stapler and it was easy to just take an extra from the janitor’s closet. The only problem now is making the switch without Miss James noticing. 

With any luck, Veronica can listen in on the other student meetings and she can get some sort of lead on who might have killed Lilly.  

“Look, Veronica, for whatever reason, I don’t think you…care for me very much, so if you prefer talking with someone else, that’s…”

Veronica snaps the stapler shut. She sees the way Miss James closes her eyes in repressed frustration and feels a little bad for being so difficult. Just the tiniest bit. 

“Sorry, that was rude. It’s not you. It’s the talking. I don’t want to talk away my grief. I want to turn it into something else. Fuel. I know how I’m gonna feel better and it’s not by talking about how sad I am.”

She fidgets with the stapler, making little snappy sounds until Miss James calls her name and makes an “mm-mm” sound complete with disapproving shake of her head. 

Veronica stops.

“Yeah. Nervous habit.”

Veronica sets the stapler at the edge of the desk. It falls and she bends down, taking the opportunity to switch the staplers. Veronica carefully places the new stapler on the desk, adjusting its position.

“So, how is it you’re going to find, uh, and I really hate to use this word but it is appropriate…closure?”

“I’ll find closure when Lilly’s killer’s rotting away in prison.”

The meeting deteriorates rapidly after that. Veronica can tell Miss James is frustrated at the fact that Veronica’s shut herself off from all of the talking and won’t be getting anything else out of her. The conversation dwindles into a staring contest after her declaration. Eventually Miss James huffs out a weary sigh and sends her back to class. 

Veronica sees Logan sitting on the bench outside the main office, waiting for Clemmons to punish him for the earlier fight. She wonders if he’ll be suspended, if they’ve called his parents, if he’ll have a disciplinary hearing. 

He looks up and catches her eye and instead of smirking gleefully at him like she would have a month ago, she gives him a sincere smile. Just a small one that tips one edge up almost shyly. 

His mouth mirrors hers. Two fingers jauntily touch his forehead and he salutes her as she walks past. 

She’s not in her class for more than 15 minutes before another summons is sent for her. This time from Clemmons and Lamb. 

_I wonder what it is this time?_

More fake drug charges? Like she doesn’t have enough to deal with already, though she does so enjoy the look on their faces when what they’ve charged her with turns out to be false. Once she gets to the locker, she’s accused of making and selling forged ID cards. 

_Well, haven’t heard that one before._

She’s in the middle of a quip when she opens her locker door and at least a dozen blank ID cards fall out. 

Lamb takes great pleasure in looking through her wallet to find her personal fake ID’s and then slapping cuffs on her. Cameras flash and Veronica wryly wonders if that picture will make it into the yearbook. Knowing her luck, it will. 

* * *

Logan is sitting on a bench twiddling his thumbs when the bell rings and he can hear a commotion gathering in another hall. Whatever it is, it must be the reason why Clemmons left him waiting for over an hour. 

His dad comes walking up and Aaron looks surprisingly perky for a man whose personal affairs have been exposed to the world. But Logan can see past the action figure grin to the anger sparking in his dark eyes. 

“Logan.”

Aaron puts a heavy hand on Logan’s shoulder, thumb pressing into the dip of his clavicle, a warning. 

“What’s this I hear about you fighting? You’ve only been back for a week. I have to say, I’m very disappointed, son.”

Logan’s body tenses and he has to force himself to make the grimace on his face look like something resembling repentance. 

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Dad.”

Right as Aaron’s mouth twitches in the way Logan knows means trouble is coming for him later, Clemmons shows up to break the tension. 

“Ah, Mr. Echolls. I’m sorry to keep you waiting. There was another incident I had to attend to. Logan, you won’t be joining us for this conversation.”

Aaron lets go of Logan’s shoulder and he feels like he can breathe again. He sits back down on the bench, wondering why the hell he’s still there then if he’s not going to be included. He balances his elbow on his knee, puts his chin in his hands, and raises his eyebrows while smiling in a _don’t-mind-me_ gesture. Aaron, ever the faithful performer, makes sure to appease Clemmons. 

“Oh, no problem Mr. Clemmons. I just got here myself. Did it have something to do with Sheriff Lamb? Was that Veronica Mars I saw him escorting out as I was walking in?”

That statement catches all of Logan’s focus. 

_Veronica got escorted out by Lamb? For what?_

Being a pain in the ass isn’t enough to be taken down to the station for. Then again, Veronica’s personal brand of annoyance includes super sleuthing with spy tools. And occasionally putting bongs in people’s lockers. 

Logan’s torn between thinking it can’t have been that bad and it has to have been really bad. Everyone knows Lamb despises the Mars family and that it wouldn’t take much for him to try and get Veronica caught for something. On the other hand, Lamb usually sends one of his cronies, like the guy with the mustache who always reminds Logan of Mr. Potato Head, to the school instead of dragging his lazy ass here himself. 

Aaron and Clemmons go inside the office to discuss the fight from that morning while Logan continues to ponder the drama of Veronica Mars. By the time they come out, it’s already lunchtime and Logan’s mind has moved on from tiny blondes who think they’re Nancy Drew to what he wants on his pizza. 

He barely hears Aaron tell him that the three of them have to come in for another meeting in a couple of days, but he does register the fact that he’s not suspended. And that Aaron is telling him he’s proud of him for standing up for his mom. He can’t help but make a smartass comment, even knowing that Aaron is already on edge. It’s only his mom coming up to them, hours late for the first meeting, that saves him from saying something that will really earn him a beating later. 

They both smile at her and assure her that nothing is wrong. Aaron puts his arm around Lynn’s shoulder and tells Logan to have a wonderful rest of the school day. His parents send him off to lunch with giant grins on their faces, waving at him like they’re in a sitcom. 

_Yeah, real life Walter and June they are._

* * *

 

Veronica sits in one of the interrogation rooms at the station, hoping that Cliff will be kind enough to bail her out and never tell her dad about it. Oh, she knows he’ll find out eventually, but she’s hoping to prolong that as long as possible. 

She bangs her forehead on the table in frustration. She’s been here for _hours_. When is he gonna spring her so she can hunt down and eviscerate the person who set her up?

Cliff walks in, his face weary but resigned.

“Know any good lawyers?”

“Cute. I know an adequate one who just paid your $500 bill. By the way, why am I here paying for it instead of your dad?”

Veronica waves away his concerns about Keith with a dismissive hand. 

“He’s in Arizona chasing a bail jumper.”

Refocusing her attention back to the real matter at hand she looks up at Cliff.

“So are we gonna beat this thing?”

“Well they’ve got you on possession. The stuff in your wallet is Mickey Mouse. It’s the ones in your locker they really care about.”

“They were blank!”

“Right. So until the coma guy wakes up, it’s all gonna come down to your word and that other kid.”

“Wait, what other kid?”

“Your friend Ricky over there.”

Cliff points behind her. Turning around, Veronica sees Rick something-or-other from school. She’s pretty sure she’s never said more than two words to the guy. Feeling fury bubble in her veins, she stomps over to where he is. Dimly she can hear Cliff calling out her court date set for next Tuesday, 9 a.m. and to not be late. 

_Because don’t I have enough to deal with without this crap?_

She grabs Rick by the lapel of his shirt and slams him against the wall. 

“Hey there, _Rick_. Have we ever met? Have I ever pissed you off in some way? No. So why the hell would you tell Lamb I was the one who sold you a fake ID?”

The kid looks jumpy and more than a little bit scared. A small, vindictive part of her is gratified that her 5 foot _barely_ 1 inch height can provoke that kind of reaction in him. 

“It… it was what they told me to say.”

Veronica’s eyes narrow and she can see the sweat start to bead at his brow.

“They? Who’s ‘they’?”

“No. No way. They’ll destroy me if I tell you!”

“I’ll destroy you worse.”

Veronica promises the sentiment sweetly with a toothy smile. 

“I can’t talk about it here.”

Veronica looks into Rick’s eyes, debating the pros and cons. She comes to a decision and grabs the collar of his shirt again, dragging him with her to her car. 

“Hey! What are you-? I told you, it has to be in private.”

“Oh we’ll talk in private all right. In the privacy of Mars Investigations.”

Shoving him into the passenger seat, Veronica keeps him from running with the force of her glare. 

* * *

 

At Mars Investigations, Veronica sits at her desk with her arms crossed over her chest. She’s staring Rick down. He’s not talking, but he’s not trying to get away. At least it’s something. 

But it’s not enough. 

“So, Rrrrick. The fake ID’s. Who. Framed. Me?”

Her voice is punctuated, each consonant sharply pronounced. Rick shuffles in his seat, looking away from her. 

“Ok. Look. There’s this secret society in Neptune. No, I’m serious!” he protests at Veronica’s skeptical snort. “They’re called the Tritons. Every year, six juniors are inducted into their ranks by the six senior members. Tim and I were pledges.”

“Who’s in charge of them? Who invited you?”

“No one knows for sure. I got this note in my locker last week inviting me in.”

“So the drinking was a part of the hazing ritual?”

“Yeah, something like that. Twelve Labors of Hercules. The first few challenges weren’t that bad. But then on Friday I found a fake ID in my locker with instructions to go to twelve bars and do a shot at each. Tim passed out at bar #11.”

“So why did you just leave Tim in front of the hospital?”

“I freaked! We all did. But the other pledges left me there with him so I drove him to the hospital and hoped they would treat him.”

“How do you know all this about the Tritons?”

“My dad and my brothers were all Tritons. They’re wicked powerful. I told you. They’d destroy me if they knew I was talking to you.”

“So what, you were just following orders? BZZZT. Wrong answer, Rick.”

“I know that now and I’m sorry. You’ve gotta believe me. After what they did to Tim? I can’t even talk to my own dad about it. He calls me a coward and a traitor for what I did. But how can I belong to a club that almost killed my best friend? All I want now is for the Tritons to go down.”

There’s an earnestness to the way he says that last line. Something vicious that Veronica can’t quite put her finger on. It goes farther than just wanting Tim to be ok. But she’s willing to put it aside to inspect later if it gets her the names of the other pledges. 

“So who else was there with you?”

“The other pledges?”

“Yeah, how do they pick who they pick?”

“The Tritons supposedly choose the best guys in everything: academics, sports…they’re pretty much the six guys you’d expect.

“I want their names.”

“Harry Diddon, Steve Argo, Matt Barone, Duncan Kane.”

Even before he says it, Veronica knows Duncan’s name is coming. Of course the heir to the Kane fortune, Captain of the Soccer Team, school newspaper reporter, FBLA member and future president, Student Body President; _Duncan Kane_ is one of the initiates. So that means if she gets a tracker on his car, she’ll be able to find the Tritons. 

Veronica sighs softly and rubs her temples gently. She would rather _not_ deal with the problem of the Tritons, but she has no choice. 

“Ok Rick. I’ll see what I can do. Give me a day or so, but I’ll be in touch.”

It’s at that point Wallace walks in. She casually dismisses Rick and he squeezes himself behind Wallace, scampering away eagerly. Wallace spares him a two-second look of confusion before turning back to Veronica. 

“La femme Veronica. I heard it took three officers and a stun gun to haul your butt outta school.”

“You must be the only student who didn't see my walk of shame in person.”

“I grabbed your books.”

Wallace slides the strap of her bag off his shoulder and hands it to Veronica. The two of them settle down on the couch. 

“And your homework from the teachers.”

“I need to ask another favour. Two, actually.”

Wallace heaves a long sigh, but he smiles in surrender. 

“This mission better involve me seducing the head cheerleader.”

“I need you to poke around and see if you can get me a fake ID. If you must seduce the head cheerleader in order to accomplish your mission, so be it.”

“No sweat. How do I do that?”

“Play on her insecurity.”

“I meant the fake ID part.

“Okay. Let’s pretend for a moment that this mythical head cheerleader of yours has just asked you out on a date. In exchange for seven minutes in heaven, you have to get her into the hottest nightclub in Neptune or at least buy her a pack of strawberry wine coolers. The stakes are high, Wallace Fennel. Think, now. How would you do it?”

Wallace rubs his chin thoughtfully before swinging an arm around her shoulders. He pulls Veronica in close to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. Veronica body tenses and her shoulders hunch automatically. Even knowing that this is _Wallace_ , and Wallace would never do anything to hurt her, Veronica’s guard is automatically raised.

“Hey, Veronica?”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to get me a fake ID so I can get some fake action from a fake cheerleader.”

Veronica rolls her eyes, relaxes her shoulders, and elbows Wallace lightly. 

“Wallace?”

“Yeah?”

“Please find out who else at school is making them.”

Wallace laughs to himself before agreeing. 

“Wait, you said _two_ favors. What’s the second one?”

“Oh yeah, do you think you can get this tracker onto Duncan Kane’s car?”

“What was that now?”

* * *

The next morning Veronica has herself sequestered in the back parking lot with a large tarp over her car. She can’t quite get the radio frequency to work and has to keep fiddling with the radio dials to try and get a clearer sound from the bug in Miss James’ stapler. Weevil’s in there now and even though Veronica doesn’t think much will come out of listening to this conversation _\- had Weevil and Lilly even known each other? -_ no opportunity should be wasted. 

Finally she finds the right station. Veronica settles herself into a more comfortable position. She props up a foot on the dashboard and balances an elbow on her knee with her hand holding up her head. 

Miss James’ voice comes in through the speaker, a little tinny but still clear enough to be heard and understood. 

“Right now I just want to talk about Lilly, okay?”

Weevil’s voice answers, sarcastic and contemptuous. 

“Oh, well then, why don’t you call some of her rich, white friends in here?”

“I want you to listen to something. It’s a letter you wrote. ‘You tore my heart out. You can act like what we had together meant nothing to you, but you can’t stop me from loving you. For the rest of your life, wherever you go, I’ll always be there, just out of sight, in the shadows’.”

_Weevil wrote that?_

Veronica had no idea that Weevil had a poetic bone in his body. The memory of him using song lyrics in English class comes to mind. 

His voice coming through the radio is soft and defensive. 

“You know, I… I don’t remember cc’ing you on that.”

“Lilly wanted to be transferred out of your PE class last year, she was having trouble with a boy. She gave me these to prove it.”

“I never would have hurt her. Look, the cops already rubbed my nose in those letters so what… what-”

_Lilly and Weevil?_

Veronica is too shocked to catch what Miss James said next. So the rumors about Lilly and Weevil she’d told Wanda were true? Why had Lilly never mentioned him? Why had she never known that the cops and talked to Weevil in connection to Lilly’s death?

Weevil talking about Lilly and Logan pulls Veronica back to the ongoing conversation. 

“Her and Logan had just broken up. And uh, Lilly… Lilly swore to me that she’d never go back to him but then… one day that punk snaps his fingers and… all of a sudden it’s like… like we don’t even know each other any more. And… she was someone I could have loved, you know? And she felt it too, I know she did.”

Veronica shakes her head sadly in sympathy for Weevil. His voice breaks and he sounds near tears as he finishes his speech. He must have been one of Lilly’s other lovers. Even Veronica had never known how many guys Lilly had been with. She’d also never been sure whether Lilly had ever waited for her relationship with Logan to end before moving on to someone else. Though the way Weevil told it, Lilly’d waited until she and Logan had been in the “off”-phase. 

_Why didn’t Lilly tell me about him?_

It sounded serious from Weevil’s end but even with his belief in Lilly’s feelings, there was just no way to tell if she’d reciprocated the emotional connection at all. _Could_ Lilly have started to develop serious feelings for Weevil? Was that what she was supposed to tell her that day at the car wash?

_Was Weevil her big secret?_

Listening to the rest of Weevil’s conversation with his choked up voice, about how much Lilly meant to him, is almost too hard for Veronica. But she makes herself listen anyway. 

She’s made a file on everyone Lilly had contact with who might have had even the slightest chance of killing her. And now Weevil’s become a new suspect. Even if he says he would never hurt her, Veronica is taking no chances. 

As uncomfortable as it makes her, she needs all of the info she can get. 

* * *

After Weevil come a string of other 09’ers that Veronica listens to with half an ear because of how utterly inane their conversations are.

Where Weevil’s meeting lasted almost an hour, most of the 09’er meetings end almost as quickly as Veronica’s, and she’d made sure to get in and out as quickly as possible. 

Veronica knocks her head against the glass window of her car as she listens to an endless stream of false grief from people who had never known the real Lilly. Most of them repeat the same sentiments; how beautiful she was, how vivacious she was, how she was the uncontested queen of Neptune High and it’s just not the same without her. 

What almost makes Veronica break is listening to Madison Sinclair tearfully describe how losing Lilly was almost like losing a sister. Madison goes on about how Lilly used to be her best friend and she’d never trusted Veronica Mars because look how former Sheriff Mars had handled the case. 

Miss James keeps her feelings about Keith tightly reigned in but Veronica can tell she’s irritated by Madison’s digs. The meeting ends not too long after that. 

Luckily lunch starts after Madison finishes. Deciding she needs a break, Veronica pulls out of the parking lot and rushes to get food for her rumbling tummy. Once she’s devoured a large cheeseburger with extra bacon, large fries, and a gigantic milkshake Veronica settles herself back at Neptune High to listen to the after-lunch crowd. 

The first one to come in is Duncan. 

Veronica quickly turns on a recorder in order to catch everything he says on tape. She wants the freedom to analyze it later in case he says something incriminating or she misses something crucial. For the most part, he discusses how much he misses her and memories of what Lilly was like when she was younger, how rebellious she was. 

He tells a story of Lilly making faces at him behind their parents’ backs and Veronica closes her eyes, _seeing_ Lilly and the faces she would make so clearly that it hurts. 

“Since I stopped taking my meds.”

_Wait, what?_

“Uh, does your physician know about this? Have you had any episodes?”

“Oh, I only stopped the anti-depressant. I’m still taking the old stand-bys.”

_What kind of episodes?_

Veronica furrows her brow in frustration. 

_Duncan was taking anti-depressants? What else is he taking?_

“I’m not stupid.”

“It does explain a lot. The medication… calmed you. Maybe even prohibited you from fully processing your sister’s death. You know, all that turmoil was suppressed for the past year, maybe it’s…finally making its way to the surface. What, you don’t agree?”

“I don’t know. I think she’s mad that I don’t remember.”

“Are you starting to forget things about Lilly?”

“Oh, I remember Lilly. I… I just don’t remember what happened. I remember being at soccer practice that morning. Then I was in the back of a limo and… it was three days later and Lilly was dead and all that time in between was just… gone.”

_So Duncan doesn’t remember any of that day at all? He doesn’t remember me coming up to him and asking where Lilly was?_

His memory loss, combined with his lack of an alibi for Lilly’s death, and the fact that Lilly’s time of death was tampered with in the first place makes Duncan look more and more like a viable suspect. Veronica doesn’t want to think of it, doesn’t want to imagine the kind and sweet boy who gave her her first kiss as the maybe-killer of her best friend. 

But Veronica likes to think she can face hard facts and the reality of the world head on, so she readjusts her view. It’s not Duncan Kane, her first love, who’s a suspect. It’s Duncan Kane, her maybe half-brother, who may have killed her maybe half-sister. 

God it sounds like the plot to a crappy soap opera.

_Follow where the evidence leads you Veronica. Now I just have to find out what exactly Duncan is being treated for._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the dialogue is taken directly from the episode Clash of the Tritons. That is due partly to me re-watching the episode over and over again and partly to vmtranscripts.com
> 
> The title of the chapter and the summary refers to Bessie Smith's song "Eavesdroppers Blues".


	4. Elementary Eavesdropper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are things Veronica wishes she could forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to marshmallowtasha who is the best ever and lets me send her my random rambles about this story and helps me make some sort of sense out of all of it. Thank you to all who read, kudo'd, and commented on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy Chapter 4.

After Duncan’s revelatory meeting, there’s a parade of more 09’ers full of false grief for Lilly. During those times, Veronica makes a mental list, prioritizing the cases she’s involved with and the tasks she needs to do for each of them. The wasted hours of sitting in her car listening to stuck up 09’ers finally ends when she gets a call from Cliff just before the last school bell rings. He wants her to come meet him at Mars Investigations and she pulls out of the parking lot with a sigh of relief. 

When she walks in to Mars Investigations, Cliff is sitting at Veronica’s desk with his feet up; he looks at her over the copy of the Neptune Register that he’s reading. 

“Sorry Cliff, I’m late.”

Cliff jerks his head and widens his eyes, nodding towards the small kitchenette as Keith walks out of it, coffee cup in hand. Veronica turns her head, sees her father, and whips her head back round to face Cliff.

“Hi, Dad. Their case is fuzzy and circumstantial.”

She cringes a little at the thought of what his reaction is going to be. 

Keith chuckles lowly, but she knows there’s no real humor to be found in this situation. 

“You know the odd thing? Those were also her very first words.”

His words are light and laughter still colors them, but Veronica can hear a dark thread of disappointment. Not disappointment at the fake ID’s, she knows he doesn’t believe a word of that, but disappointment at the fact that she can’t stay out of trouble for one weekend. 

Veronica rushes to spill all of the information she has on the fake ID’s so that, maybe, it’ll make that little kernel of disappointment disappear. 

“I think I’ve got a good lead on who’s making the fake IDs. It’s a secret society at school called the Tritons. I talked to Rick, the guy who accused me? Rick told me that he was bullied into turning me in. I’m positive they’re the ones who set the blanks in my locker.”

Keith sighs and Veronica knows that wasn’t quite the right thing to say. There’s something else bothering him. 

“Look, Veronica. The criminal case is the least of our problems.”

Veronica looks confusedly between her dad and Cliff. 

“Tim’s parents are suing.”

“Us?”

“And pretty much everyone else involved in their son’s night of debauchery. Every bar in town is gonna be named in the suit. The thing could be worth millions.”

Veronica’s mouth drops open a little as both men stare her down. 

_Oh._

This is so much worse than she’d first thought it was. As much as she wants to protest _(It isn’t my fault this time! I actually_ was _framed!)_ she knows that won’t help any. They know she was framed. That even if she _had_ been making and distributing fake ID’s, she never would have gotten caught. The best thing she can do right now is to track down the Tritons, find out why they framed her, and expose them as the real fake ID manufacturers. 

After an hour of discussing with Keith and Cliff what their options are (not much) Aaron Echolls walks in through the front door. 

“Oh! Hello. Sorry, did I interrupt something?”

Keith shakes his head in the negative. 

“No, we were just discussing a case. Come on in Aaron.”

Cliff picks up his briefcase and looks at Aaron with a wary eye.

“Uh, I’ll be going now but I’ll talk to you later, alright Keith?”

When Keith nods and answers with an “Of course.” Cliff turns to Veronica. 

“And _you_. Try not to find more trouble, alright? Or at least pretend.”

Veronica sticks her tongue out at him but he only looks at her indulgently like she’s an unruly five year old. She scrunches her nose as he leaves before turning to see Aaron sitting on the couch and her dad grimacing as he eases himself down next to the movie star. 

She bites her lip a little. She’s conflicted on how she feels about Aaron. He’s never been anything but nice to her face. But the infidelity and the thought of Lynn’s sad eyes make her want to punch him in the face. Her solution is to act like he’s not really there. He’s just another random client with a case she won’t be involved with. 

Knowing they won’t start their conversation until Veronica leaves, she heads to the kitchenette for a bottle of water and some pain medication.She passes them off to Keith with a kiss on the forehead and a murmured reminder to take it easy. Waving goodbye to Aaron halfheartedly as she walks out the door with her bag and laptop, Veronica pulls out her phone to call Wallace. 

He needs to hear about the lawsuit and she needs to know if he’s found anything on how the Tritons are getting the fake ID’s distributed. 

* * *

 

Veronica curls up on the couch of the Mars apartment that evening, researching the mythology of Triton while she waits for Wallace to get off work. The Tritons had been an issue before, but now the threat of a lawsuit worth millions of dollars against her means that she has to re-structure her mental priority list and put them right at the top. 

A knock at the door startles her before Wallace breezes in with a grin on his face.

“Trick or treat.”

“What’s the news?”

“Nobody I talked to at school knows anything about fake IDs.”

Veronica’s anticipatory smile turns into a small groan of disappointment before Wallace continues on. 

“But then this afternoon, a kid from my biology class comes into Sac’n’Pac, buys a six pack from my boss, like it was no problem.”

“Did you figure out where he got his fake?”

“Slow down. This is _my_ story. Followed him out to the parking lot and I was like ‘Yo, fella, check it out. You’re on Candid Camera.’ Gave him the four-one-one on our video playback capabilities, you know, leaned on him. Like I was Shaft or somethin’.”

Wallace is clearly enjoying being the storyteller for once. His whole body is animated as he mimes pointing out hidden cameras and leaning on underage kids. Veronica laughs. 

“Shut yo' mouth!”

“Long story short-“

“Ha!”

“The guy claimed that there’s a mystery locker at school.”

Veronica’s eyes light up. 

“Ooo, I like it already.”

“Here's how it works. You put your name and two hundred and fifty bucks in locker 110 first thing in the morning. Come afternoon, brand spanking new license that says you were born in 1983 arrives in your locker.”

Veronica gives Wallace a skeptical glance as he settles himself on the arm of the couch next to her.”

“Are you willing to put $250 into some strange locker just to see if this works?”

“ _Hell_ , no. I'm using _your_ money.”

He grins unashamedly and Veronica pouts a bit, but acknowledges that it is _her_ case and that it wouldn’t be fair to make Wallace pay. 

Technically. 

It’s $250 versus millions. If this gets her to the Tritons, it’s worth it. 

* * *

The next morning, Veronica sneaks into the school before any of the kids and before most of the teachers have even arrived. The janitorial staff is still cleaning up and the janitor polishing the floor catches her attention. She waits until he’s rounded the corner and can’t see her before walking forward and standing where he was polishing. 

_How many times have I walked through the main hallway? And how many times have I not noticed that our school’s insignia includes Triton’s conch shell?_

Veronica stares contemplatively at the harmless looking conch shell in the center of the school’s logo before realizing that she has to move quickly or someone will see her. She goes over to the display case next to the administrative office and quickly picks the lock. 

Replacing everything on the bottom row with a camera exhibit is the perfect cover to catch whoever is using Locker 110 to conduct their fake ID business. She turns her head to roughly gauge the angle at which she should place the camera and fiddles with the lens so that it’s perfect. Then she adjusts the setting to continuous movie mode. Wallace will come by later in the morning and drop off the money. With this in place, they should be able to find out who it is fairly easily. 

Veronica hears footsteps coming around the corner. She makes one final check on the camera’s angle and settings before hastily shutting the glass display case and re-locking it. Then she makes a mad dash for her car, hoping it’s not Clemmons and that she won’t run into him. 

Once she’s safely back inside of her tarp-covered car Veronica finally relaxes. The suspension doesn’t really bother her. It’s just an annoyance she would rather not deal with since it makes sneaking around so much more complicated. 

Knowing that it’ll be hours before students start arriving and Miss James calls in another student to talk about Lilly, Veronica settles herself in by pulling the lever to push the driver’s side seat back. If she’s lucky, she can catch a quick cat nap. If not, there are always the facts of the Lilly Kane Murder Case and it’s surrounding mysteries to think about. 

Again.

And again.

And again. 

* * *

Lunch has come and gone and Veronica still sits in her little Le Baron cocoon, listening to Miss James talk about grief to students who don’t really understand the term. She’d taken a break for her own lunch but now she is back to lying in her reclined chair, hating the fact that she’d forgotten to bring a book or something else to occupy her time with. 

She knows that patience is a part of the job description. She’s spent more than enough hours waiting at the Camelot for the scumbag of the week to finish his tryst so she can get the money shot and go home. She’s actually gotten kind of good at waiting. 

But this isn’t a cheating spouse case. 

Or a bail jumping case. 

Or a petty 09’er case. 

This is _Lilly’s_ case. 

That makes it so much more personal than any other case could possibly be. She _needs_ to find Lilly’s killer and the thought of wasting time by sitting through more hours of students who never really knew Lilly talk about how much they miss her makes Veronica want to hit her head against the window in frustration. Hopefully she’ll be able to overhear something that will help her. 

Weevil and Duncan’s meetings were already more than she’d hoped for, but it’s not enough. While the little kernels of truth are certainly helpful, it’s not enough to break through the pile of lies the Kane’s threw over Lilly’s death. 

There’s a burning in her chest whenever she thinks about how the Kanes manipulated the facts of the case, with Clarence Weidman as their faithful lap dog. They obscured the details of their daughter’s murder, put an innocent man in prison, and are still beloved by the majority of the community. Meanwhile, her dad lost his job, they lost their house, she lost her mom, and everyone pretty much despises the Mars family. 

Not that the Kanes care.

Veronica is pulled out of her thoughts by Rebecca’s voice crackling through the speaker. 

“Thanks for coming in, Logan.”

Oh. 

It’s Logan’s turn. Veronica wondered when he’d be coming in, if at all. 

“Thanks for getting me out of a calculus test, Becky.”

“It’s Miss James, please.”

Veronica rolls her eyes before wondering if they actually did have a calculus test that day. 

Nope. 

Just Logan being a jackass like usual. 

She sits up from her reclined seat to pay attention to the meeting. She’s never really heard Logan’s story. Even if he was miles away at the time, even if he couldn’t possibly have killed Lilly because his alibi was airtight, she _needs_ to hear this. 

Did Logan still mourn Lilly like Veronica still mourned her?

Of course he did. He loved Lilly. He’d loved Lilly so much. And she’d loved him back. Hadn’t she? Even when she was with Weevil, and Alexei, and Pascal, and Tom, and every other guy she’d winked at over Logan’s shoulder, didn’t Lilly still love Logan?

Though the meeting today might give her no evidence to help her find Lilly’s killer, Veronica still wants to hear it. Because then maybe she can get some answers not just for Lilly, but for herself as well. If she’s lucky, they’ll mention her. He’ll mention why he turned on her after Lilly died. Why the lovable goof he used to be decided that Lilly being dead meant Veronica Mars should have been instead and he became the psychotic jackass who tormented her. 

“So the week Lilly died would have been our second anniversary. We’d been together since junior high.”

“Off and on?”

“Yeah, off and on.”

“And at the time of her murder you were-“

“Off!”

His voice until that point had been soft and hesitant. Unsure of what he should say or share. But his voice cracks like a whip when he confirms that, yes, he and Lilly were not together the week of her murder. 

“…Temporarily.”

“Why were you broken up?”

His voice retreats back into its earlier softness and Veronica has to strain to hear him. 

“There was this party. And, uh, Lilly was pissed at me for something, so she never showed. I can’t even remember why, you know?”

Veronica remembers. Lilly was “sick” so she opted out of the party at Logan’s house. In truth, she had headed down to San Diego by herself to _“scope out the clubs before we go down for Fleet Week, of course”_.

Veronica had been the one to cover for her.  

“So I got pissed at her for blowing me off. I ended up getting pretty hammered and-”

Logan takes a deep breath before finishing his sentence. 

“…wound up kissing this other girl for like three seconds.”

“And Lilly saw you two?

“Nope, someone else did.”

Veronica’s mind flashes back to that night. Rounding the stairwell to grab her forgotten purse. Seeing Logan kissing Yolanda and Yolanda leaning in to kiss him back. Telling an irate Lilly about it that Monday morning. 

“You must know her. Word is you’re real close with her dad. Or at least you were. What, he wasn’t good enough for you? Cuz I sure as hell didn’t see you at the hospital when I was there.”

“You need to leave my personal life out of this, Logan.”

“Yeah, let’s not get _personal_ about this.”

There’s a bite to his words now. 

“You know what? It sounds like you blame Veronica.”

“You know, Veronica was my friend too. And if she hadn’t ratted me out then Lilly and I would have stayed together. And Lilly wouldn’t have been _alone_ that day. I would have _been there_. So, yeah, I blamed Veronica.”

Logan’s voice is thick from holding back tears. It breaks when he talks about Lilly being alone that day. Because if he’d been there he could’ve stopped Abel Koontz from getting to her.

If Veronica hadn’t been such a goddamned _snitch_ , then Logan wouldn’t have gone to TJ that weekend. He would’ve been laying poolside and teasing Lilly about her too-small bathing suit. 

Somewhere deep down, though, he knows that’s not fair. There’s more blame to be laid than just at Veronica Mars’ feet. 

“And I blame _myself_ for being stupid and I blame _Lilly_ for being a bitch that week.”

Miss James looks at him like she’s latched onto something and it makes Logan’s jaw clench. 

“Logan… Do you still blame yourself?”

He scoffs at her in obvious agreement.

“Great observation, Becky. Really stunning. Are insights like that the reason they gave you a degree?”

She looks down as annoyance flashes across her face, but continues as if he hadn’t spoken. 

“And do you still blame Lilly?”

Logan works his jaw a bit before he answers, but when he does his voice has gone back to being soft and truthful. 

“Most days. Yeah.”

“And Veronica?”

He opens his mouth to answer with an “of course”, but something stops him. 

Does he still blame Veronica? 

“You said ‘ _blamed_ ’. Past tense. Does that mean you don’t still blame her anymore?”

Miss James sits in front of him and, unknown to him, Veronica sits on the edge of her own seat. Both wait patiently for an answer. 

_Do I still blame Veronica?_

Yeah, Veronica ratted him out to Lilly. He’d barely kissed Yolanda and it’s not like it went any farther than that. Certainly not as far as Lilly would take it with the number of guys she’d kept on the side. 

John Enbom and the make out she’d had with him at the Halloween party the year before. Jake Driscoll and the body shots they’d both shared. Weevil?

Fucking _Weevil_. 

Like Logan actually believed that shitty excuse about Lilly being Weevil’s sister’s name. Logan could see the wheels turning in the gangster’s eyes when he’d confronted him. He’d admitted it without saying anything. 

So Lilly had been a bit of a slut.

Logan would be the first to admit it. It didn’t make him love her any less. His issue didn’t come from the fact that she loved sex with anyone and everyone. It came from the fact that she slept around when she was supposed to be in a monogamous relationship. 

What a fucking double standard to expect Logan to be completely faithful every second of every day and then, when things went to shit, blame it all on his own jealousy. She gave him every reason to be jealous. It’s not as if he’d ever been unfaithful before.

Every other girl he’d ever been with had been while they were broken up. He’d never believed that Lilly gave him the same courtesy but he loved her enough to try and look the other way all those times. 

Because there were times when she smiled at him and they laughed together and they were _happy_. 

Lilly looked happy with him sometimes and Logan lived for those moments. It wasn’t until he saw her looking happier with Veronica at that stupid car wash that he realized that it really was the time to end it. For good. 

Logan thinks that’s when he’d started hating Veronica.

Sure, he’d been pissed about Veronica giving him a lame-ass excuse for Lilly not being at the party that weekend. _“Sick”_ she’d said. 

_Yeah, right_. 

But seeing them together, laughing and joking and so damned happy together had made him equal parts sad and angry. Veronica made everyone happy. She made Duncan happy, up until their weird split. She made Lilly happy, happier than Logan had ever made her. Hell, she’d even made Logan happy most days with her innocence and cuteness and sunshiny attitude. And she did it all with such ease that Logan doubted that she belonged in a fucked up place like Neptune. 

Logan couldn’t make anyone happy. Not even when he tried. Really, really tried. 

So, yeah, he hated Veronica Mars a little when he saw her there at the car wash, making Lilly smile in a way Logan had never been able to. 

Then Lilly died. And Veronica wasn’t cute anymore. She wasn’t sunshiny. She sure as hell wasn’t innocent. 

She’d been a huge part of why Duncan shut down, even if he would never tell Logan why. The freak out Logan had been witness to was enough evidence of that. She was responsible. Then her dad went after Jake and even if he didn’t leak it himself, her dad was the one to blame for the video of Lilly’s body being streamed everywhere. And Veronica stood by and defended her dad’s decisions. 

The reasons to hate Veronica just piled up, higher and higher until Logan forgot everything but the fact that Lilly was dead and Veronica was alive and that wasn’t fair. 

It got easier after the new semester had started and Veronica came back after Christmas break with a new attitude. New everything, really. New haircut, new clothes, a new bitchy attitude that pissed him off. That wasn’t the Veronica he’d known so it became easier to separate the two. Easier to blame this new Veronica without feeling any guilt.

_Do I still blame Veronica?_

Logan thinks of Keith Mars in the hospital, Veronica sitting at his bedside, both so pale and still that Veronica might as well have been admitted herself. New Veronica bleeding the Old Veronica with her tired eyes and baby soft voice asking him for poker money when she really meant “I had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep”. The uncertain way she smiles at him in the hallways now, like she doesn’t know if he’ll return the smile or sneer at her like he had before. 

“Logan?”

Logan is pulled forcibly back to the small councilor’s office he’s sitting in, his thoughts derailed. 

“Do you still blame Veronica?”

Veronica’s face flits through his mind.

Her smiling on a thousand different occasions, but that day at the car wash especially.

Her crying, tears streaming but without a sound at Lilly’s funeral. 

Her eyes, hard and steely, as she calls him a jackass for the first time.

Her mouth curled in disdain as he taunts her about her mother’s drunkenness. 

Her chin, tilted upward proudly but trembling slightly as she told him about Clarence Weidman and the riflescope pictures he’d taken of her. 

_Do I still blame Veronica?_

“A little bit, I think. Yeah, but not… not as much as before.”

Is that enough for her? Is that enough for Miss James to write about in her paper about grief in teens? Will he get credit for it? A whole section just on him and displaced blame and how it comes back to bite you in the ass a year and change later? 

“You know there is another way of looking at this, Logan. If you’d still been together, you might be dead too.”

Logan laughs mirthlessly. So fucking what? Isn’t that what he’s been anyway? Didn't he die with Lilly that day already and now he’s just stuck in purgatory with no way out? 

“And what is so great about living?”

It’s a valid question. When your girlfriend’s dead, your best friend’s all but catatonic, your girlfriend’s best friend/best friend’s ex-girlfriend has become the bane of your existence, your mother’s basically checked out because of her alcohol and pill addiction, and your dear old dad still beats you regularly…

What is so damn great about living?

* * *

Veronica sits in her car, trying to process everything. Of all of the conversations she’d listened to, this is the one that felt the most like a violation of privacy. She’d known it had less to do with Lilly and more to do with herself, but she’d never expected Logan to actually talk about her. 

Of course she knew he blamed her. She just didn’t know for what, exactly. She’d always thought it was all spill over from how her dad handled Lilly’s case. And part of it was. She knows better now though. 

It’s for Yolanda. For telling Lilly. For letting Lilly go home alone that day. For Lilly being dead. 

She can’t really fault him for that. 

Because she’s blamed herself for those exact same things hundreds of times. If only she hadn’t gone back for her purse. If only she had stood up to Lilly for Yolanda’s sake. If only she had gone to Lilly’s house with her after the car wash. 

She doesn’t believe him when he says he blames her less than before. Veronica was probably the last person before her killer to see Lilly alive. She should have done something. 

She thinks back to the way his voice sounded. The tears she knows he would refuse to shed. The self loathing. The weariness.

He sounded so lost. 

Especially at the end. 

It’s more than just a poor little rich boy with a death wish. It’s peeling away the masks Logan puts on every morning. The ‘Son of a Movie Star’ mask. The ‘King of the 09’ers’ mask. The ‘Psychotic Jackass’ mask. All the way down to who Logan really is. 

A teenage boy who lost the girl he considers the love of his life.

Veronica has to clench her jaw and turn her head away at the thought. 

A part of her thinks, 

_He saw me vulnerable. He saw me scared and tired and weak. Aren’t I allowed to see him the same way?_

The difference is that Veronica let him see her that way semi-willingly. This piece of Logan she’s seen, she stole without his permission. Without his knowledge. 

It’s what she does. She ferrets out information on clients who are keeping secrets and she exposes them. 

This is the first time she’s ever felt truly guilty about it though. 

Miss James spouts off some platitudes about how being able to live is a blessing and Logan shuts her down. Their meeting doesn’t last long after that. 

Veronica is grateful. She doesn’t know how much more she could have listened to. 

She pulls her knees up and buries her head in her hands, a headache pounding away at her temples. 

_Dammit Logan. Couldn’t you have just stayed one-dimensional? Couldn’t we both have just continued hating each other, forgetting that we used to be friends, until we graduated and never saw each other again?_

It would be so much easier to deal with that than possibly letting themselves forgive each other. 

Someone knocks at the window while Veronica has a little crisis of conscience and she rolls her eyes. Her voice is muffled due to her hands still covering her face, but she figures she’ll still be understood if she speaks loudly enough through her fingers. 

“Did you forget Wallace? The secret knock?”

Dropping her hands, Veronica gives a little exasperated sigh and unlocks the door for Wallace to get in. Maybe he found out the fake ID distributor already?

The tarp is ripped off and the door is thrown wide open. A flash of alarm paralyzes Veronica as she sees several large male figures in dark green robes with masks covering their faces surrounding her. Two of them grab her and pull her out of the driver’s seat. 

“Hey! HEY!”

They pick her up and put a black bag over her head. She can hear a rustling sound just before she feels a length of rope being wound around her. They pull a little too tightly and she hisses in pain. 

Veronica bucks her body, trying to fight them off, but two guys hold her tightly by the arms to hold her still. She strains her hands and arms against the ropes. At least two more pairs of hands grab her roughly and tie the rope around her wrists before cinching them to her body so she can’t move. 

She tries screaming again, even through the bag covering her face, but a hand clasps itself over her nose and mouth. 

Veronica panics. Immobilized and completely helpless, it brings back the terror of a night with no memories. 

_Had she fought back like this when she was raped? Will she be left with more bruises that take so long to fade away? Will they drug her or will they leave her conscious this time?_

There’s the sound of a click that Veronica can’t identify before she’s placed on her back on a fabric-covered surface. Then, they close the door of the trunk and Veronica is left in darkness. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title and summary are inspired by the song "On the Offensive" by the band From Autumn to Ashes.
> 
> "Elementary Eavesdropper... there are things you cannot forget..."
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think :)


	5. Strawberry Cream Cocktail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sweet, but with a hidden punch. I told you it would suit you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my wonderful beta marshmallowtasha who lets me send her my first drafts at 1 in the morning when i'm barely coherent and make tons of mistakes. But then she magically makes it all better. :)

Veronica lies there in dark silence, trying to calm down her uneven breathing. 

_It’s ok. I’m ok. They left me alone and they didn’t hurt me._

Her sore arms and chafing wrists say otherwise, but Veronica chooses not to think about that. 

Does she have her phone? Shifting her hip to the side, she can feel the phone in her pocket dig into her hip. Hooray for small victories. 

_Ok, step one? Get out of these ropes. Then we can move on to step two; take the bag off my head, and step three; call Wallace to come get me._

Veronica frantically tugs and pulls at the ropes binding her wrists together. They’re tied too tight. The rope is also looped around her body, keeping her arms pinned to her sides. 

Panic starts to swell inside of her, but she clenches her jaw and forces it down. She will not scream. She will not cry. She’s a big girl who can get herself out of her own damn car trunk. Or at least out of the ropes by herself. 

So Veronica lies down in total darkness and works her wrists, pushing to try and create enough slack in the ropes to get a free hand. 

She keeps her breaths steady and tries not to make her panic worse by hyperventilating.

_Trunks aren’t completely sealed right? You can’t run out of air?_

Her wrists are aching and she hasn’t broken skin since the ropes are over her sleeves, but she’ll be surprised if she doesn’t come away with some massive blisters. Veronica has to bite her lip to keep from crying out when the ropes make her sleeve scrape over a particularly painful spot. 

At some point, Veronica wonders if she’s doing any good at all. It feels looser, but that could be her mind playing tricks on her. 

_How long have I been in here?_

It’s hot and cramped and she’s getting thirsty. Also, she kind of needs to use the bathroom. 

Eventually, Veronica is able to wriggle her pinned arms out of the rope and away from her body, though her wrists are still bound. She brings both hands to her face and pulls off the bag over her head. 

_Ok, step three. Call Wallace._

Veronica shifts onto her right hip in order to make the phone in her left pocket more grab-able.

_School must have let out by now. Shit. That means Wallace is heading to the gym for basketball practice. Maybe I can catch him before then._

Wallace doesn’t pick up. 

_Who else can I call? Mac?_

The dark haired girl has become someone Veronica can call a friend. It seems like telling someone they were switched at birth and having them help you identify an anonymous 911 call becomes a real bonding experience. 

Mac doesn’t pick up either. 

_Ok… Come on, Weevil._

Weevil picks up. 

“Hey.”

Veronica gives a weak chuckle. 

“Hey Weevil. Funny story. I need a favor.”

“Of course you do. Unfortunately for you, I skipped school today. I’m in L.A. with my grandma at the doctor’s office so you’re gonna have to find someone else.”

Veronica thumps her head against the carpet. 

“Great. Never mind then.”

“Whoa, wait. It’s not something serious is it?”

_Serious like I’ve been locked in the trunk of my car for the past 3 hours?_

“Nah. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“…Ok, if you say so. You watch your back, _chica._ ”

“Thanks for the advice Weevs. Hope your grandma’s ok. See ya.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

_And that’s strike three folks. She’s out. Is it too late to call in a pinch hitter?_

She calls Logan.

She really doesn’t want to. The echo of his voice _“And what is so great about living?”_ rattles around her brain and she honestly doesn’t know if she can face him after what she’s heard. 

He picks up.

“I don’t have any more poker money to give you.”

Her answering laugh is just on the edge of hysterical and it must freak him out because he answers with a concerned, 

“Veronica?”

“I need a favor.”

“Ok?”

“Look, are you still at school?”

“Well I was slated to embark on the Great European Tour but I decided to stick around Neptune High instead. Why?”

“Haha. Very funny. I need you to come to the far parking lot and open up my trunk. I’m kind of stuck inside.”

“Playing hide and go seek and accidentally locked yourself in?”

“Just hurry up will you? I think the keys are still in the ignition and the door should be unlocked.”

There’s silence on the other end and Veronica doesn’t know if that’s good or bad. 

“Logan?” 

“I’m on my way. Where are you parked?”

She heaves a sigh of relief and tells him that her car was under a blue tarp, but she doesn’t know if it still is. Regardless, he should be able to recognize her Le Baron.

After he hangs up, Veronica drops her phone and starts to work at the knots still holding her wrists together with her teeth. 

Her teeth start to hurt, but she thinks she’s almost worked a knot free when light floods the space and Veronica is left blinking blearily at the shadow of Logan’s face above her own. 

_Oh, thank God. He actually came._

Some part of her wondered if he would. 

“What the fuck, Veronica?”

She gives a little wave.

“Hi. Wanna help?”

She holds her wrists and the almost loose knot out to him. He looks between her face and her wrists for a second before reaching around her back to scoop her up into a sitting position then he takes her hands and starts working at undoing the knots. He looks up at her from under his lashes. 

_How does he do that when he’s taller than me?_

“So, let me guess. Kink club initiation gone wrong? Don’t you know you’re supposed to practice rope safety in the bedroom by always keeping safety shears within reach? The keys were in the lock of the trunk by the way.”

He gives up on unknotting the rope by hand and pulls out his pocketknife. The sawing motion he makes jars her wrists together and she can’t help but whimper sharply in pain. His eyes snap up to meet hers before pulling her sleeves back. She can see the way his jaw tightens when he sees the bruising blisters. Veronica herself winces. 

“You’re going to have to have a serious talk with your new play partner. Don’t they have safe words to keep you from getting like this?”

The rope finally cuts through and Veronica breathes in relief at her now free hands. She hops out of the trunk and throws in the rope, closing it behind her before grabbing her keys out of Logan’s hand. 

“Thanks ever so much for the advice Logan, but I’ve got to skedaddle.”

She practically runs in her haste to get to the girl’s restroom and ignores Logan calling out and chasing after her. While she’s inside, she takes a look at her wrists. They’re not _that_ bad. She’s gotten worse blisters on the back of her heel from uncomfortable shoes. Rinsing them off with cold water is heavenly and she spends several minutes at the sink wishing she had a bottle of Neosporin. 

_Note to self, keep a small first aid kit in the glove compartment. Can’t do any harm._

When she exits, Logan is still there. He’s leaning against the wall facing the door and there’s no possible way for her to slip past him. 

“Look, Logan. Thanks for your help, but I’ve really got to get going.”

“I want to know what’s going on.”

“It’s fine. It was just some guys trying to scare me away from this case I’m working.”

“So their solution was to tie you up and throw you in a dark space for a couple of hours? Who were they? Did you see their faces?”

“Nope. They wore hoods and masks and put a bag over my head.”

It’s the truth. She technically doesn’t know the exact identities of the guys who grabbed her.

Logan scoffs in angry disbelief and looks like he’s about to say something more when he’s interrupted by a call of,

“Hey, V. Girl, you know you’re not supposed to be here. Clemmons will fry your ass if he catches you.”

Wallace comes around the corner and guides V back into the bathroom and out of the hallway. Logan follows and locks the door behind him. 

“So I got your call. I was just about to call you back? Did you figure something out? And why is _he_ here?”

Wallace points at Logan leaning against the locked door and trying to look unobtrusive. Veronica rolls her eyes and pulls Wallace back around to face her. 

“Ignore him. He wouldn’t have had to come help me if you had answered your phone. Aren’t you supposed to be in practice right now?”

“Nah, practice got cancelled. But what happened?”

Veronica looks between Wallace and Logan, worrying her lip a bit. Logan raises an eyebrow in a challenge that she knows she can’t back down from. 

“I was in my car and I thought it was you knocking at the window. So I unlocked the door and at least 6 guys grabbed me. They tied me up with a length of rope and stuck me in the trunk of my car. I’ve been in there since lunchtime and I _just_ got my hands and arms free enough to get to my phone. Logan was the only one who answered so I asked him to come and let me out.”

“Aw, V.”

Wallace has a face he makes when he thinks she’s being too reckless and he’s feeling overprotective. It’s not a pitying face or a disapproving face. It’s an ‘I wish I’d been by your side to help you cuz you don’t deserve to go through that alone’ face. He made that face a lot when they’d first started being friends and he stuck by her even though he knew about her reputation. He made that face when she told him her mother walked out on her. He made that face when she told him that Lilly Kane used to be her best friend.

He’s making that face at her now.

“Stop it. I’m fine.”

She makes a stern face at him in return but she lets him pull her into a hug. 

“Are you really ok though?”

“Yeah, of course I am.”

Wallace looks at her disbelievingly and Logan snorts delicately. Veronica ‘tsks’ in annoyance. 

“So my wrists got hurt. A bit. They’re fine.”

Logan looks like he wants to say more, but Wallace cuts him off. 

“If you say so, Supafly. Anyway, I figured something out about the-“

Wallace looks balefully back at Logan and Veronica sighs before nodding. If Logan’s decided to be stubborn and stick his nose in a case, then there’ll be no getting rid of him. 

“-the Tritons.”

“You did?”

Veronica lights up in excitement and Wallace grins. 

“Just before I ran into you guys, I went to my locker and found _this_ little beauty right here!”

Wallace looks extremely proud of himself as he whips out his wallet and pulls out an ID card. Veronica swipes it out of his hand and Logan moves closer to get a better look.

“A fake ID? I thought you got suspended because _you_ were the one making them?”

“So you mean everything Clemmons found in your locker has actually been yours?”

Her eyebrow quirks up and he lets out a small accepting laugh. 

“Point made. And the Tritons are?”

“A secret society here at Neptune High that framed me.”

Logan has no snarky comeback and when she looks up, he has a skeptical look on his face.

“What? It’s the truth!”

“A secret society?”

“What other kind of society is going to tie me up and lock me in my trunk? The Humane Society? Anyway, that’s not the point. This card…”

Wallace chimes in.

“Yeah what about it? Please tell me there’s nothing wrong with it, cuz I was planning on trolling some bars with it later.”

Veronica doesn’t even look at him, she just keeps running her fingers across the little plastic rectangle and holding it up to the light. Logan pulls out his own fake ID from his wallet and holds it up to Veronica’s hands for comparison.

“The ink is bleeding at the edges, the hologram is missing-“

“And dude, is that your year book photo?”

“So what?”

“So, this means this is a $250 piece of crap.”

“You paid $250 for this thing?”

“No, _Veronica_ paid $250 for it.”

Wallace points to Veronica who is looking angrily at the plastic in her hands. 

“I am _genuinely_ offended now. C’mon, let’s go get that camera and figure out who exactly is behind this.”

Veronica darts out the door and Wallace shares a weary glance with Logan before they follow her. The three of them creep through the hallways, both boys walking slightly in front in case they need to cover Veronica. 

Before they turn the corner to the main hallway, Veronica stops them. 

“Is there anyone in the Admin Office?”

Logan chances a peek around the corner and replies in the negative.

“Ok, great. You two cover for me. This should only take a few minutes.”

Veronica walks quickly up to the display case, picks the lock, and takes the memory card out of the camera in record time. She skips back to where Logan is keeping lookout and waves Wallace over.

“Alright! Normally this is the part where my luck runs out and something goes wrong!”

“Alright, V let’s not jinx it. Let’s get to your car and get you out of here.”

Veronica nods and single-mindedly marches out of the school and to her car. She vaguely notices Wallace trailing behind her, but forgets Logan is there at all until he speaks up. 

“So, your place or… the office? I figured asking would be better than stalking you silently.”

Veronica whirls around. 

“You’re coming? It’s not exactly your idea of fun.”

Logan works his jaw a bit before answering.

“Yeah, well I figure someone should play bodyguard. Muggsy over there is obviously not keeping a close enough eye on you.”

“Hey!”

Veronica’s first instinct is to shoot him down flat. But when she turns around to say no, she meets his eyes and all she can hear is,

_“Do you still blame Veronica?”_

_“…not as much as before.”_

Veronica closes her eyes in annoyance. 

_Damn my stupid conscience._

“Fine. We’re headed to my house because I don’t want to bother my dad with this. Just follow my car to the apartment.”

Logan smiles his ‘I-just-won-the-battle-and-I’m-probably-going-to-win-the-war’ smile and practically skips away. Wallace looks between Logan and Veronica, shaking his head slowly. 

“I am never gonna get that guy. Or you for that matter. Did you forget the fact that he bashed in your headlights?”

“Just shut up and get in the car.”

* * *

 

At the Mars house, Veronica immediately goes to her desk, inserting the memory card. Wallace follows her, dropping his bag at the foot of her bed before going back out to the kitchen to find the first aid kit. 

Logan walks around, taking in the details of her room, making infinite comparisons to the one she’d had before.

_Mostly the same books on her bookshelves. Same CDs. A mix of professional photographs and what must be her own on the walls. A whole cork board of pictures with people._

_Must be her dad’s clients._

_No personal pictures though._

Those were all out in the living room; he’d seen them as he walked in. But here, in the sanctuary Veronica had built for herself, she had no pictures of her own face. 

A single picture of Lilly catches his eye. 

The photo is a little bit blurry. Not taken with Veronica’s new professional style camera but an amateur one that anyone would have lying around. Lilly is making a kissy face at the camera. Her lips are painted a bright pink, her eyes surrounded by bright purple, her hair a mess of frizz and curls.  

It looks like the aftermath of a slumber party. Like they were experimenting with makeup in front of a mirror, slept in it, and took a picture of it the next morning. He doesn’t think he’d ever seen Lilly look this imperfect and he can feel a little lump in his throat. It’s just another side of Lilly that Veronica got to keep for herself. 

Shaking away those thoughts, Logan wonders what Veronica must have looked like. 

Veronica’s voice cuts through the fog,

“I was 12. It was just before we met you. Lilly stole all of Celeste’s expensive makeup. I was terrified we’d get into so much trouble, but Lilly made it so much fun I couldn’t help myself.”

Logan can just imagine what Little Lilly said to Little Veronica to make her stop worrying. 

“This was Celeste’s makeup? Why would she even own these colors? Bright purple is so not good for her complexion.”

Veronica laughs, not looking at him. She’s still looking at the screen where the video is playing on fast forward. 

“It was one of those giant palettes you know? With every color the store has to offer? Lilly put this silvery neon green on my eyes and fire engine red on my lips.”

From where he’s standing Logan can only see her profile. Her eyes are slightly glazed as she stares at the video and there’s the hint of a sad, wistful smile on her lips. 

He doesn’t quite know what to say next. 

Wallace comes back in with the first aid kit and breaks the moment. 

“Ok V. I’ve got disinfecting wipes, a gigantic tube of Neosporin, and a whole new box of bandaids. Lemme take a look at your wrists.”

Veronica protests but eventually lets him patch her up while Logan watches the video to see who came up to locker 110. When they go through the whole video and still don’t see anybody, Veronica groans in exasperation. 

She looks at Logan briefly before bringing up the window with the tracker on Duncan’s car.

“You’re actually tracking Duncan? Isn’t that called stalking? Do I have to warn Duncan not to buy a bunny so you don’t boil it?”

“Look, he’s one of the Triton Initiates and my only lead right now.”

Logan looks at her sharply. 

“I thought you said you didn’t know the guys who threw you in your trunk?”

Veronica shrugs.

“Technically I don’t. They were all wearing hoods and masks and I have no idea if Duncan was with them. Now are we going to wherever Duncan is at the moment or not? I’d hate to miss the sacrificial lamb killing or the Satanic chanting.”

* * *

 

They all agree to take Logan’s monstrosity of a car to whatever club Duncan’s at. As they walk through the doors, Veronica turns to the boys to give them a warning.

“All right, from all I've heard, these guys are bad news, so I want you guys to be careful.”

“I’m sorry, which one of us got ambushed by them and had to call for help?”

Wallace snickers when Veronica throws a venomous glare at Logan before turning back around. They can hear the sounds of someone singing “Sweet Chariot” _very_ off-key and he throws an arm over Veronica’s shoulder.

“It’s ok, Veronica. I’m still very afraid! And if they try to take all three of us, Slugger over there can distract them while we get away.”

“Since when did I become the distraction?”

“Didn’t you offer to be bodyguard earlier? I’m just taking you up on it.”

Logan’s reply for Wallace is cut off by a very loud, 

“Swing low, sweet chariot! Coming for to carry me hoooommmmee!”

Veronica cringes at the sound. She definitely recognizes that voice. She hears muffled laughter to her left and looks over her shoulder to see Logan trying to suppress his mirth. His eyes catch hers and they share a smile. Memories of countless sleepovers pass between them. 

“I always did say that when he started singing, he needed to stop drinking.” Logan’s voice is a low murmur 

Veronica gives a little choking laugh, remembering their very first karaoke sleepover. 

Lilly had decided that Veronica needed to learn how to drink and appointed herself bartender until she got plastered and set up the karaoke machine. Duncan had gotten drunk even faster than Lilly (though with far less alcohol) and was delighted when he saw the microphone come out. 

Logan had taken over the bartender role. 

* * *

_“YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY! I JUST CAN’T SLEEP!”_

_Veronica laughs as she puts her hands over her ears. She looks over at Duncan wailing away as he clutches his microphone in both hands. Lilly stands next to him with a microphone in one hand and a drink in the other. She has both hands up, waving them around with her eyes closed. The drink sloshes in it’s cup and spills over her arms, but she pays no mind as she harmonizes with her brother._

_“Hit me, Baby, one more time!”_

_“Lilly! That’s not the right song!”_

_“Whatever, Veronica Mars! It’s all Britney anyways!”_

_Lilly shimmies, whipping her long blonde hair from side to side as Duncan bellows,_

_“BABY THINKING OF YOU KEEPS ME UP ALL NIGHT!”_

_Veronica buries her face in her hands to muffle the laughter. Logan’s voice, just starting to deepen, joins hers. Rolling his eyes at their friends, he re-directs Veronica’s attention to the tabletop._

_He’s set up a tasting booth for her, Lilly’s idea. However Lilly’s original plan was to just have Veronica drink multiples of everything until they passed out. Logan goes for the more scientific approach._

_He’s put out glasses filled with different types of liquor and arranged them by similarities. Straight shots first, then mixed drinks sorted by type of alcohol. He lets Veronica take a sip of each, letting her know what she’s drinking, what the ingredients are and what the proof is. He takes his time and makes sure she understands what he’s saying before moving on to the next concept like any good lecturer._

_So far, she finds she hates gin. Tequila is ok but not the best. She likes vodka mixed but not straight. Whiskey sours are kind of tasty. Rum is only ever ok with coke. Beer is icky._

_Logan puts something pink and frothy in front of her and she scowls at him._

_“Really?”_

_“I think it suits you!”_

_He grins and she can see a small peek of the gap in his smile from his last baby tooth falling out._

_She looks at him skeptically, but takes a sip. Sweetness with only the barest hint of an alcoholic tang flood her taste buds. She can’t quite keep a hum of satisfaction from slipping out and hopes that Logan won’t hear over Duncan singing about how crazy he is. By the way his smile deepens and the fact that she can see the whole gap where his missing tooth should be, he definitely heard._

_“I can’t even taste the alcohol.”_

_“Yeah. With a good bartender, you really shouldn’t be able to. Just a little bit to enjoy the flavor, but it shouldn’t overwhelm you. Especially if they use the good stuff.”_

_He reaches over to steal the glass from her, taking a drink himself. He chuckles at her whine of protest before handing it back to her._

_“But! You also have to be careful because you won’t notice the alcohol sneaking up on you and laying you out flat. That, my dear Ronnie, is strawberries, cream, and homemade vanilla vodka. Sweet, but with a hidden punch. I told you it would suit you.”_

_She sticks her tongue at him before taking another sip and they both turn to watch Duncan finish his song and Lilly queue up another._

_The older blonde bounces over to Veronica, still uncaring of the way her drink splashes over herself and the carpet._

_“Come on, Dorkus! Sing with me!”_

_Duncan ambles over, still singing to himself under his breath._

_“I think you’ve had enough man.”_

_Logan’s laughter colors his words._

_“Nah, I’m good. I’m just gonna have one more. Just… Just one more.”_

_Logan pulls the whiskey bottle on the table out of Duncan’s reach._

_“Nope. New rule. You’re not allowed to drink if you’re singing.”_

_“C’mon man!”_

_“You start singing, you stop drinking. Final decision.”_

_Veronica can still hear them arguing about it even as the music for Genie in a Bottle starts playing and Lilly starts gyrating her hips in her best Christina imitation._

* * *

 

“Hey guys. He’s finishing. Let’s go catch him before he disappears.”

Wallace’s voice breaks through the moment and Lilly’s voice in Veronica’s head fades away. Duncan finishes his song and comes off the karaoke stage amidst boos. Three judges hold up scores; a two and two threes.

Veronica, Logan, and Wallace all move to intercept Duncan. He looks surprised to see them there, but his eyebrows really jump up when he sees Logan. 

“Nice performance, Duncan. I was wondering if you could introduce me to a few of your Triton buddies.”

“Brawny gods just flocked up to quiz and vex him.”

“If you could just tell me who’s in charge then I can-“

Duncan tries to push past them, but Veronica snatches his shirtsleeve and forces him to look at her. 

“-personally thank him for putting fake IDs in my locker and getting me hauled off to the sheriff’s department.”

“Quick wafting zephyrs vex bold Jim, I…”

He shrugs, looking at them helplessly. Logan’s eyebrows scrunch in frustration. 

“Come on, man. This isn’t funny. People are getting hurt by these Triton guys.”

Veronica nods in agreement.

“You do know that the Tritons are responsible for putting a kid in the hospital, right?”

That wasn’t the hurt that Logan was referring to, not with the way he can see the bandages on Veronica’s wrists peeking out from under her sleeves, but he’ll let her roll with it.

Duncan shakes his head in denial. 

“Tim is in a coma right now because of what your secret club forced him to do. Can you live with that, Duncan?”

“The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog, I…”

“Ugh.”

Veronica shakes her head and walks away from him in disgust. Wallace follows. Logan looks at Duncan, hoping for something. Duncan looks blankly at him, a hint of anger in his eyes. Logan raises a brow in question, but Duncan clenches his jaw and turns away. Logan rolls his eyes and turns around to find where Veronica and Wallace have gone. 

They’ve set up camp at a table off the side of the stage. Wallace looks discouraged, but Veronica sits there with her brows furrowed in anger, a dissatisfied pout on her face. They stay for one song. One horribly out of tune song.

“I didn’t think there could be a singer worse than Duncan.”

Veronica snorts softly at Logan’s statement before resting her chin on her fist and rolling her eyes. 

“Let’s get out of here. This is going nowhere.”

Wallace spots Duncan coming towards them. He taps at Veronica’s arms. 

“Heads up. Looks like he’s having second thoughts.”

Duncan reaches them.

“Are you ready to talk?”

He’s obviously not, since he keeps quiet, but he makes a great display of handing her a note and smiling. He waits until she’s read the note before he starts to leave. His gaze shifts from a dopey smile to something chillingly fierce when it passes over from Veronica to Logan. Logan registers the look.

_What, so I’m not allowed to spend time with her that doesn’t involve me insulting her?_

Wallace tries to look at the note over Veronica’s shoulder but can’t quite reach, so she reads it out loud.

_“_ The judges hold the vital scores. You shall hear my voice once I’ve heard yours. The Great Triton.”

She looks up quizzically at Wallace and Logan for some sort of answer. Logan shrugs his shoulder, an inkling of an idea in his mind, but he won’t say it out loud. 

The master of ceremonies steps up as the current singer is booed off the stage. 

“Next up we have…Veronica Mars!”

Veronica’s eyes widen with shock. Logan lets out a bark of laughter as Wallace smiles. The MC puts his hand above his eyes to look for her as the crowd starts to chant.

“SING. SING. SING. SING. SING.”

The crowd stamps their feet and pounds the tables. Logan looks around gleefully and joins in. Even Wallace starts chanting with the rest of them. 

Veronica looks at the note again, looks at Wallace and Logan, then looks at the stage. Finally she goes up to whisper in the MC’s ear. The crowd claps in anticipation. 

“Have you ever heard Veronica sing before?”

Wallace looks at Logan before turning back to Veronica onstage.

“Nope.”

“Well, you’re in for a show. She doesn’t do things halfway.”

The opening of Blondie’s “One Way or Another” rings out and a smirk appears in the corner of her mouth. 

“This song goes out to my friends in the Tritons!” 

Wallace gives her a thumbs up while Logan crosses his arms behind his head, leaning back to enjoy the show. Veronica does not disappoint. She dances across the stage, bouncing and bopping her head, a better singer than the rest of the club combined. 

As vaguely threatening as the song is, Logan can’t help but laugh at the way she throws herself into it. He hasn’t seen her like this in a long time.

_And whose fault is that? Yeah, that’s right. Yours._

“One way or another!”

She strikes a pose at the final note and Logan can’t help but join in the uproarious clapping and whistling that follows. He sneaks a peek at the judge’s scores; all nines and tens. Duncan is beaming at her like he’s still love-struck and something niggles at the corner of Logan’s mind. 

Something about it is off. 

The way Duncan looks at her just doesn’t mesh with the way he broke up with Veronica and treated her the past year. Then again, Logan’s current actions don’t exactly reflect the way he’s treated her the last year either.

Veronica smiles a little shyly onstage and gives a soft bow, thanking the crowd. The MC hands her another note before she leaves the stag and comes back down to their table. 

“Let’s hear it for Veronica Mars!” the MC calls out after her. 

“Nice job, V!” 

Wallace holds his hand out for a high five but she’s completely focused on the new note. Logan looks over her right shoulder while Wallace looks over her left. 

_Meet me in the Bathroom –_ _Alone_ _._

She whips around and heads for the bathroom, motioning the boys to stay outside.

They stand awkwardly together, with Logan looking around to see where Duncan went, only to find he’d disappeared. 

“Hey, man. What’s your deal?”

Logan turns back to Wallace.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why are you here? Why are you helping V? A few months ago you were acting like you wanted to put a crow bar through her face-”

“I hit her car, not her face!”

“And a few weeks ago, you and your friends probably wouldn’t have hesitated to do exactly what the Tritons did to her.”

The accusation hits hard. Could he have done that to her if he were given the opportunity? 

The image of Veronica, wide-eyed and scared as she tries to gnaw her way out of the ropes tying her hands together flashes through his mind. He’d _like_ to think that he’s incapable of putting that look on her face. 

“Look, Veronica and I used to be friends.”

“Yeah. A long time ago.”

Wallace has a fierce expression and it makes Logan’s hackles rise. He never could resist a challenge. 

“I don’t know what you think you know-”

“I know enough. I know that you and your toadies hurt her pretty bad. I know that she had to learn how to pick herself up because of it. I know that if this is another one of your 09’er schemes to try and beat Veronica back down, I will show up at _your_ house with a crow bar. Got it?”

Wallace stands his ground and faces Logan with his shoulders straight and his gravity centered. Logan has to give the guy some grudging respect for obviously caring enough about Veronica to go to the mat for her like this. 

Logan grins.

“Message received.”

Veronica walks out of the bathroom, a thundercloud on her face. 

“Duncan set us up. He paid a guy $20 bucks to throw me off his trail.”

Wallace backs down. His attention shifts from Logan back to Veronica. 

“So what do we do now?”

Veronica looks up at both of them, anger and frustration in her eyes. She shakes her head softly. 

“I don’t really know.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented, kudo'd, or just took the time to read the last chapter. I'm so grateful. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last one.


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